I am still hopeful too as the protocol has already demonstrated incredible success given the radical nature of the change it represents. The forces seeking to obstruct Bitcoins use as a MoE are however considerable as are those who see it as simply a speculative commodity plaything. If enough people want the freedom and monetary integrity it offers it should survive and continue to develop. Bitcoin at 60% of the entire market cap shows the learning process is ongoing. Regarding LN it has become a lot easier to use and I think many who tried it a few years ago may not realise it is now much more functional-reliable. There is a fair chance it can now grow in adoption...whereas early on it was not easy to use.