Very interesting thoughts–a lot of food for thought there. Personally, I know on the one hand that I would not be happy in (or able to stick with) any job that required a lot of work hours and responsibility. Nor do I have the stick-to-it-iveness to get a Ph.D. like my parents did. But I do also feel frustrated that without an “important” position in society, or an academic credential, I am marginalised.
I do have two friends who are college professors and take me and my opinions and insights seriously; however, one of them mostly socialises through his church (while I am an atheist) and the other has invited me to social gatherings, but his colleagues just can’t seem to get past the fact that I’m not a credentialled academic. So I engage with those two guys individually (they are not friends with each other), but I sure would love to have a broader “salon” type group to chew the intellectual fat with.