At the end of the day.... everything we see and do is just the abstract result of potential energy being released in some form. What is an atom bomb other than an extreme form of this?

The survival of the human species relies on its ability to expend energy. Grow food? We need gas to run the tractors.

Travel to your jobs? Gas or electricity.

Travel to another planet? Massive amount of energy.

Ride away on a spacecraft to another solar system? Massive amount of energy.

The amount of energy required to do these things is probably more than the amount of energy required to erase ourselves from existence. And when we have the ability to harness that energy, do we really think we are responsible enough to not do that, accidentally or adversarial-y?