I am here for a similar reason, but I don't consider it an escape from reality. The loss of hope you are talking about is being manufactured by our news media, political parties and foreign actors. It is not reality. The reality is that we are more peaceful, secure and have less misery than for most of human history. The reality is that diligent people are working hard every day within their domains to advance the state of the art, to keep solving hard problems, to make the world just a little better. So I come here to plug into that reality a bit and disengage with something that brings me anger and anxiety and is often not the least bit true.
So as you watch people here solve problems and build new things, don't forget that to take your inspiration from that and build some new things in your own life and community.