@ TreeofLife - couldn't have put it better myself!
@ deepb - you need to stop digging and put your shovel away. You have no idea how hard a PhD is. The Dr title reflects the achievement, and wasn't the reason I did one. I can allow for and respect cultural differences though in my experience, there is generally greater respect for "teachers and doctors" in cultures outside of the established "Western World". Therefore I'm not sure the Eastern European slant explains your view. Mindful of the fact that you have a job (which a lot of people on here with or close to hard-earned PhDs would kill for right now) I think you need to go and ask yourself what you really want out of life. Do you even aspire? If it is just about taking the easy route all the time, then some day you are going to wake up with a tremendous sense of regret and loss.