A complicated bit of text editing software if after 20 years of daily use you're still learning significant new tricks. Statements like yours are why vim seems completely unapproachable to me.
The fact that someone could use it for 20 years without knowing everything makes it seem more approachable to me. It shows that you don't need to know everything, or even most things to be productive with it.
Unapproachable? You don't need to know every single command and the entirety of Vimscript to use the editor. Do you know every function in every language/API you use?
It may seem that way, but you need only learn one command per day.
Start with `i` for insert mode and `<ESC>` to return to normal mode. and `:x` to save and quit.
From there, when you want to know what a command does, go to normal mode and type `:help command` Do this once per day. Maybe twice if you feel adventurous. Use `:helpgrep` if you need to find something specific and don't know where to begin.