I think the question should be what has'nt it done?
Everything you said is true, there is no better way to release nor any better way to get yourself frustrated, bass fishing is a mindset in all aspects of the game, the rubix cube does not even come close, well, with the exception of both being a puzzle.
It's everything rolled into one big ball, there is nothing like finally unloading your boat, putting on the PFD and heading out to your first spot, the first time your boat is on plane for the first time of the new season, the first fish, all of these feelings are renewed every trip on the water, and so is the soul renewed each and every time as well.
The friendships we make, the chats we have, the arguements we discuss, are all parts of growing into better well rounded fishermen and women, but the end result is always the same, we learn something from someone that will help us all to become better, better anglers and better people.
Some good comes from the net, such as this place, it's home to a lot of us, it's freedom to express some of our emotions from a not so good day on the water and having someone make your day with a responce that gives you a new outlook for the next trip out, being able to come back and share your results from what you have learned and finding that this community supports you with your new skills or helps you dissect the faults and try again.
Fishing has done a lot of things for a lot of people, for a lot of us, our church is being on the water at sunrise on Sunday mornings or any morning for that matter, looking at what we have to enjoy for the short time we are here, closing your eyes for a brief moment and giving thanks just before that first cast, it's watching your children catch their first fish and feeling the same emotions they are at that moment, only to realise that moment never really leaves you, it's realising the bond of family becomes much stronger when connections like these are made and wishing these moments will last forever.
I can't say that fishing to catch fish has been as big of a success as I want it to be, but fishing in and of itself has been a blessing.
Good luck and be safe !!!