Personally, I think the problem appears that you are seeking some kind of life satisfaction in the front end of an airliner.
If that's the case, you won't find it. Ever.
I all ready had a 20-year career in the military where I was able to be intellectually and physically challenged, go on adventures, have excitement, worked on something that I believed had a purpose and where I thought I could make a difference -- all the stuff that you're seeking out in your job. I also spent a huge amount of time away from my family, and even when I was "at home", I had so much invested in what was going on at work, I never really spent much actual quality time with my family.
It was only after leaving the military that I realized what an empty pursuit it was to seek life fulfillment in my job.
So, now that I've crossed over into the airline flying world, I've realized that this job isn't about what you do for a living. Quite the opposite. This job is about the off-duty lifestyle that the schedule and money (eventually) allows you to have. Yes, there are lean years of less money and more work at the beginning...but that is all an investment on a bigger payoff down the road.
Even at a regional job I was commuting to, I had more quality time at home than I ever did in the military. When I'm at home, I'm 100% at home and there's no intrusion of work into my life. I can take the kids to school, go to lunch with my wife, do whatever hobbies make me happy, and not even think about work until next week or whenever I have to go back.
My recommendation is to stick with the airlines, but have you thought about joining the reserve military on the side? Have you pursued other interesting avenues of flying? Go learn aerobatics, or do some formation flying, or learn how to fly a big taildragger, or get a seaplane rating, or fly gliders....If you are looking for flying things that are satisfying achievements, you're going to have to look somewhere outside the airlines. And, interestingly enough, being an airline pilot will afford you the time and money to go chase these things to keep you excited!