I think people use any reason to try and convince others that we must leave the nest. Its always the same; leave Europe, go west, go to Alaska, to tha moon. The 60s and 70s, the reason for colonizing space was all about over-population on earth, so it really is not the dream or reason that makes us leave its just human nature. We will be saying the same thing when people want to leave sol.

The all the eggs in one basket is a big reason for Elon Musk mars people and I agree with that. The main reason and how we will accomplish the task of going to space is that it will be an adventure, and the price is right. The asteroid problem could use more preventive maintenance as well, we need to start looking at all the rocks zooming around out there. All of my fellow space dreamers acknowledge that earth should and always be home and should be treated like so. I look at the sky is falling people and compare them to over zealous religious people who are just trying to get me to join there cult and pay tithes to there god.

I also know that we could stop pointing our weapons at each other and the earth and we could have a university on mars by now. If we wanted to.