I have reached the age to write about merit

Even though I still feel 28, I have reached the age of fifty.

In life, we have had the chance to test certain issues not by reading or listening, but by seeing them firsthand.

Fifty is not a bad age to test the importance of the concept of merit.

So, let me write a test piece.

As a word, merit expresses meanings such as suitability, talent, value, utility, skill, virtue, capability, being worthy, and the like.

In holy religions, the importance of merit is established by both verses and hadiths.

In Judaism, the concept of merit is addressed, especially in the Torah and Jewish sacred texts, within the framework of justice, honesty, loyalty to covenants, and obedience to God's commandments. According to the Jewish faith, there are verses in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and related contexts that are directly or indirectly related to merit:

Justice and Merit (Assigning Tasks to the Qualified)

The most fundamental principle of merit in Judaism is the proper application of justice and assigning tasks to those qualified for them.

Deuteronomy 16:20: "Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you." (It is emphasized that justice is ensured through merit).

Deuteronomy 1:13-15: What Moses should pay attention to when choosing leaders for the people: "Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and respected men, and I will appoint them as your heads." (This verse shows that merit, wisdom, and experience are essential in leadership).

Similar approaches exist in the Islamic religion as well.

For example,

“Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.” (An-Nisa 4/58)

When a Bedouin asked Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when the Hour (the Day of Judgment) would come, he replied, “When the trust is lost.” Upon the Bedouin's question, “How is the trust lost?”, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) answered him: “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour!” (Bukhari, Ilm, 2, Riqaq, 35; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, II, 361)

When Abu Dharr (ra) requested a government position from him, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said to him: “O Abu Dharr! I see that you are weak. I desire for you what I desire for myself. Do not ever be a leader over two people, and do not be a guardian of an orphan's property. A government position is a trust; if you do not fulfill its rights, it will be a source of misery and regret on the Day of Judgment. However, whoever takes it by merit and fulfills the duties incumbent upon them completely because of it, will be saved from the misery of that day.” (Muslim, Imara, 17, hadith no: 1826; Abu Dawud, Wasaya, 4, hadith no: 2868; Nasa'i, Wasaya, 10, hadith no: 6255)

Despite thousands of years of advice and despite the commandments of God, it is clear that the necessary sensitivity regarding merit is not being shown.

When I started university, I had gone through quite difficult paths.

Let me conclude before the subject drifts to other channels.

In my 30-year academic life at the university, I have understood that the merit system is only followed at a rate of 30 percent.

Those who started their academic life without resorting to tricks, without using connections through spouses, friends, politics, or religious communities, became very successful.

They became professors early on.

They made an impact with their scientific work and created added value.

The others, however, corrupted both themselves and the institutions they worked for.

The children of former rectors remained assistant professors with a fake doctoral thesis without advancing a millimeter.

Those who came through the connections of the high judiciary, even if they advanced a little with the easing of the system, reached old age.

Those who were supported by religious communities, who wrote articles using the 'turnstile' model and became professors by stealing English exam questions, were dismissed by statutory decrees (KHK).

Those who came by their own merit, despite all the storms, survived and continue their work.

Let us look at why we cannot enter the G8 from this perspective as well.