I think I met some of my closest friends on here just going through things and looking for people to interact with.
I also interact with many people through Discord communities and find this to be a recurring theme. I think sometimes when so called real life is not treating us well or we find ourselves in a strange place, it's nice to jump online to people who have no knowledge of where we are in our head-space and just chat away.
Sometimes we end up chatting away abut life, work family and stuff and actually see a tangible cathartic benefit from it. Either way I have a number of real friends I have met due to the blockchain many of whom have indeed transitioned to real life friends too.
You are spot on about getting out there and finding groups who align with your interests and your values... They are not gonna just happen along and find you, strange how we humans complicate stuff, right?
Yes!!! That's a biggie for me, I love interacting with a truly global community and have gotten insights in to life in every corner of the planet through the things people share here.
Consider yourself well-met my friend. Look forward to crossing paths many times throughout the journey. Keep on rockin' 😎