[analog31]

Thankfully, technology may help us to find a middle ground. For one thing, it's possible to work on one computer while attending a meeting on another. My home office is two computers for this reason. This is useful for those "status update" meetings where each of 12 people gets 5 minutes to update everybody on their tasks.

You can also accept a meeting invite with the proviso that you will participate if you are actually needed.