I agree that the vast majority do not understand (or, rather, refuse to recognise) the depth of our dilemma.

As story-telling apes prone to all sorts of cognitive distortions, we generally form narratives that avoid anxiety-causing thoughts; the terminal decline of our existence is certainly one of those--be it on a personal, societal, or species level.

This reminds me of a quote often attributed to Nietzsche: "Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed."

We live in a world of stories mostly created to comfort us. Stories that do not are avoided--sometimes harshly.

Another aspect that impacts our thinking has been described by psychologist Kubler-Ross when we are dealing with significant loss--again, the terminal decline of our existence is one of these.

We intially 'deny' the loss and/or create stories that allow us to 'bargain' with it, rationalising any counterfactual evidence away. It is not until we move to 'acceptance' that we recognise it and come to terms with it.

This reminds me of a quote by Arthur Schopenhauer: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

It seems people's 'truths' are different. Whether we can all come together in our understanding of our world and universe seems doubtful, especially when we are 'led' by individuals/factions that 'profit' from certain narratives.