Curious: why are nuclear reactions so much harder to cause than chemical reactions?

In fact: in what sense is this even true, exactly? Nuclear reactions like radioactive decay occur spontaneously.

Still: many chemical reactions occur relatively easily. While things like fission are actually rather difficult to cause (fortunately!) And I don't understand the underlying physical reasons for the difference very well.

One possible reply - sort of begging the question - is to say "well, the energies involved are much larger". This is true, but not terribly helpful. Why are they so much larger?

It's tempting to say: well, the strong nuclear force that binds the nucleus is very, very strong, and that makes the energy scales involved very large compared to a chemical reaction. Again: true, but I guess a much better & deeper answer is possible!

Good thread discussion with @PESimeon. Certainly deepened my understanding: https://twitter.com/PESimeon/status/1353531815336665088