Reach for the Stars

We, the human race, have decided it is our destiny, nay, our necessity, to reach for the stars.  We are going to populate the Moon, and then, hopefully, Mars.  We hope to understand more about our (inter) stellar origins, take our skills and curiosity to far flung worlds, and ease the pressure on Earth’s burgeoning population.  All very progressive, and in measure, an exciting prospect.

Whether we can really do it is another matter – will humans be able to survive long spells in space?  Some seriously question this.  Maybe the bigger question, and it costs a lot less to ask, is why?  Why go?  Because it’s there?  

Are we that clueless about human nature?  Have we collective amnesia, or some fanciful hope an evolutionary process will iron out our less than pleasing proclivities? The 20th Century saw more destruction of human life than most if not all the previous - with two world wars, genocides galore, and the murderous spread of Marxism.  

Reach for the stars.  Why?   So that we can spread the ruin that is  endemic to our humanity and impose it upon pristine (and probably uninhabitable) worlds, that are as far from earth as we are from the dual responsibilities of morality and stewardship?

What idiot came up with this?  Of course, the answer is – all of us. 

Who will be the first person in space to be murdered, or raped, or driven to despair by their close quarter companions?  How long will it take until we have to build courts on the Moon and prisons on Mars?  

Some will insist this is utterly pessimistic to which I answer, give me good reason, not febrile hopes, not to be so.  We should stay at home and get our home in order, and that is likely to take a very long time, in which case let’s get out of here.  Where do I sign up to reach for the stars?