Part 1:

(Yes, it's that long...)

While I think Peter is a jerk-wad, I think he makes a valid point in his first comment. Personally, when I consider the meaning of anything in depth ('life' included), I think starting with the dictionary definition is a great springboard for further contemplation. My agreement with Peter ends there, as I think your article was well-written and provided great insight beyond the definition.

In my experience, having lived in Japan for a couple years, just about everyone has asked me "Are you fluent?" Though it might be a slight oversimplification, let's assume I had roughly the same Japanese level as I went through the following stages of responses to that question:
1) Not even close dude, I sound nothing like a native
2) Well answering the question you actually asked, yes, I can speak smoothly without holding up most daily conversations, though it depends on the topic. Answering what you think you asked, no I haven't mastered Japanese, I can't read every kanji, I have an accent when I speak, I don't know all of the vocabulary a native knows (including slang), and sometimes I need the other person to repeat themselves.
3) Yes.

Eventually I figured what the hell, they don't understand what their asking, why bother trying to make them understand the answer. But the third answer I arrived at really goes back to that dictionary definition: spoken or written with ease (smooth, graceful, etc.). I think that answer is fundamentally true. But, as you assert, it is incomplete.

So basically, all of these responses are insufficient, because, in my opinion, it is an insufficient question, backed by a fundamentally flawed understanding of how foreign language learning works. Nonetheless, it is the question we've been given, and that is where I think your article fits in quite nicely.