Merit is never given freely

"It is of no consequence of what parents a man is born, as long as he be a man of merit." -Horace

The environment in which we were born can determine many things about the kind of life we will have. Even in our Mother's womb, the nation we will grow up in, the stature and wealth of our family, the liberty or oppression of our government, our race, culture, and physical attributes, all are mostly predetermined for us and are beyond our influence.

However, one thing that no one is gifted with from birth is their merit. Even the son of a king is not given a badge of merit freely. And even an orphan raised by a criminal has the same opportunity, at least in the eyes of Heaven, to earn his/her merit based on how he/she deals with the circumstances that have been given. 

What is the universally recognized standard of merit? It is the one who dedicates himself/herself to benefit the world even at the risk of losing his/her life. 

Spider Gap, Glacier Peak Wilderness - July 2013