On Bitcointalk merit is a reward for uniqueness, content, solution, contribution, creativity, quality service rendered and value added posts.
All those attributes you enumerated are good to consider when meriting posts but you've to know that in reality we don't necessarily see life issues as apples and oranges. There are diverse angles to life, and not as black and white or short and tall as opposites. The reality is that those attributes are abstract and can only be determined by the assessment of whoever is utilizing or analysing them. This is why I continue to maintain that meriting a post is subjective. Haven't you had any of your posts merited which didn't have any of the lofty attributes you mentioned, a post which you felt wasn't what you would write? Yet, someone splashed merit on it?