For sure there is some value that comes from actively participating in something that allows a person to both understand the thing better but also attempt to understand it better by seeing some aspects of the matter that would not be so easily seen without some kind of active participation (or stake in the game).
For me, it gave me astounding clarity as to the arbitrariness and emptiness of fiat. I knew it intellectually anyway but participating in bitcoin made me, in the parlance of geeks, "grok" it.