I agree with your hypothesis. The knowledge is not hidden per se, as a lot of it is right out in the open for the world to see. We can either choose to spend our lives seeking knowledge in order to understand what is going on around us or we can sleepwalk like the majority of people, running around on the hamster wheel and trying to keep up with the Joneses. So in a sense, there is a duality in how people choose to live their lives also.
I think researching into the esoteric and occult is just a path for those who seek knowledge and then it branches off from there. Two esoteric paths to choose from, the left hand path of self indulgence, power, and control. Then there is the right hand path of love, charity, selflessness.
Jesus Christ, Krishnamurti, those who use it to raise the Consciousness and vibration.
I've tried to use it to break the spell that I see the majority of the planet under. Money is the vehicle and the catalyst that the dark occultists are using with maximum success. It is an alchemical spell that binds the user so they always need it and always want more when in reality it doesn't exist. It's a thought form, a golem, and the keystone to the arch that holds up the temple. The lures of temptation keep people blindly chasing money in order to acquire more and more physical stuff.
I love to look at the Masonic tracing boards because everything is right there.