I have never been a bare minimum type of person and being employed is odious. Other than my Military career I have been fortunate enough to stay mainly self-employed except for a 2 year and then a 1 year period of employment at Walmart after I recovered from a stroke.
You are correct in that most of my Offline friends and family are employed and are a bit afraid to venture out on their own. I think they have an idea about the type of energy that goes into being self-made successes, and they are comfortable where they are.
Comfort is death :-D