Tug3 touched a nerve there did I? With such flowery prose and dramatic content perhaps you would be more suited to life as an author or even a ballet dancer. As for my raison d'etre, like many people I am proud of the job I do but not to the extent that I believe I am some kind of superbeing, my raison d'etre is my own children and my life outside of the job.
Without being too patronising I suspect you are fairly junior. As you gain experience you may learn to be a little more humble.
As for pay, I feel that although,obviously I would like a larger pay rise, the union negotiators have done the best deal possible without risking the possibility of a workforce- splitting strike. I personally would have gone on strike if the majority had voted that way but be assured we would not have had enough backing from colleagues to carry the fight.