3 ms·

>I'm interested in why you'd be so keen to move there. I am not the OP, but I'm very interested in moving to Mars at the first chance I get. Why? It certainly

>I'm interested in why you'd be so keen to move there. I am not the OP, but I'm very interested in moving to Mars at the first chance I get. Why? It certainly isn't about comfort, as you've pointed out. However, to many people, life is about a lot more than creature comforts. The chance to be among the first group of humans to leave our planet and live elsewhere is a unique opportunity that literally only comes once in the history of Earth. It is the first step to securing the universal survival of our species and genesis. It's about meeting new challenges, pushing limits, and proving that we are more than above-average apes beating each other with sticks and sharp objects. This is very much a philosophical journey as well as a physical one. It's about bringing terrestrial life into the greater universe. It's about realizing the best aspects of humanity, while hoping to discard many of our flaws. It's a new beginning, a new chance. Plus, being a founder of a new society is a chance few people will ever have. If having all of this means that I will have to live without as many baths, I am all for it.

pm90 13y ago
I'm glad that people like you exist. I hope we have more people with such an adventurous spirit. It's one of the great things about the human race is that there are so many of us, each of who find different things fulfilling. You can do what you love, I can do what I love (staying firmly on earth), both of us are happy and we take humanity forward! I guess the point I'm trying to make is: having a lot of people is beneficial, because then there is likely to be someone who is happy to do the things that you aren't so excited about.
- el_zorro 13y ago
  You are very right - I fully understand why people would want to stay behind! I'm very passionate about this, though, and I tend to get grouchy when people argue against doing it at all. If they don't want to go, that's fine, but when they start arguing that no one should do it, I see them as actively trying to hold back human progress for no good reason.
greeneggs 13y ago
I know that everybody has different motivations, but a common one I am seeing is to go for the glory. However, that's only enough reason to go to Mars, not enough to move there. Glory won't sustain a long-term commitment. I worry that a lot of these volunteers will get tired of it after a short period. Day-to-day life never has much glory. And frankly, people who are motivated by glory rarely have the introspection needed to really understand their own motivations and sustain commitment. The people who do great things over long periods of time are self-motivated and do it for the love of the thing, not for a dream of glory from others. Furthermore, I really do think that glory is the most important motivation for moving there. If these people are really highly motivated by "meeting new challenges, pushing limits," well, they can try setting up self-sustaining colonies in deserts or Antarctica today. But no volunteers I know of for that.
- el_zorro 13y ago
  Beyond glory is the incredible potential of the Martian gravity well for future commerce. Ease of access to orbit and the asteroid belt will make Mars a hub for space-based industry. In addition, prior hydrology on Mars means that it has mineral deposits untouched by any prospector. Once people start moving to collect these resources, Mars will become an industrial juggernaut, and will almost certainly be more influential in space industry than Earth could ever be.
- penguat 13y ago
  In the end, most people do what they do for the people around them. I suspect that motivation would hold just fine.

pm90 13y ago

I'm glad that people like you exist. I hope we have more people with such an adventurous spirit. It's one of the great things about the human race is that there are so many of us, each of who find different things fulfilling. You can do what you love, I can do what I love (staying firmly on earth), both of us are happy and we take humanity forward! I guess the point I'm trying to make is: having a lot of people is beneficial, because then there is likely to be someone who is happy to do the things that you aren't so excited about.

el_zorro 13y ago
You are very right - I fully understand why people would want to stay behind! I'm very passionate about this, though, and I tend to get grouchy when people argue against doing it at all. If they don't want to go, that's fine, but when they start arguing that no one should do it, I see them as actively trying to hold back human progress for no good reason.

greeneggs 13y ago

I know that everybody has different motivations, but a common one I am seeing is to go for the glory. However, that's only enough reason to go to Mars, not enough to move there. Glory won't sustain a long-term commitment. I worry that a lot of these volunteers will get tired of it after a short period. Day-to-day life never has much glory. And frankly, people who are motivated by glory rarely have the introspection needed to really understand their own motivations and sustain commitment. The people who do great things over long periods of time are self-motivated and do it for the love of the thing, not for a dream of glory from others. Furthermore, I really do think that glory is the most important motivation for moving there. If these people are really highly motivated by "meeting new challenges, pushing limits," well, they can try setting up self-sustaining colonies in deserts or Antarctica today. But no volunteers I know of for that.

el_zorro 13y ago
Beyond glory is the incredible potential of the Martian gravity well for future commerce. Ease of access to orbit and the asteroid belt will make Mars a hub for space-based industry. In addition, prior hydrology on Mars means that it has mineral deposits untouched by any prospector. Once people start moving to collect these resources, Mars will become an industrial juggernaut, and will almost certainly be more influential in space industry than Earth could ever be.
penguat 13y ago
In the end, most people do what they do for the people around them. I suspect that motivation would hold just fine.