On Earth you are one of approaching 8 billion people. Unless you’re a billionaire businessman, a pop culture icon or a genius inventor, you’re inherently replaceable, unmemorable. You’ll be forgotten and consigned to the dust of history, just as uncountable people before you have. What you do has little meaning, anyone could do it. What you say has little meaning, your voice will be lost in the swarm. Your failure has little meaning, your success has little meaning. You won’t likely change your society on a meaningful level, the identities of our societies (especially in the west) are already set in stone.

Mars, however, offers you the chance to be more than that. Much like the religious groups colonizing the new world, you have the opportunity to shape society with your very existence. The legends and culture of this future society will be influenced by your actions. You will be the people legends are written about, you might be the next Abraham Lincoln, people might tell tall tales of your hidden wealth or you might be known for your infamous villainy. You might be one of the men and women who throw off the shackles of oppressive companies or you might be one of those who ensured their hold and success. Even if you’re never directly attributed to anything, even if you live a quiet life. The way you lived, your attitudes, the culture you helped create, your political leanings, all of that will contribute to an ingrained memory in this new society. You will be one of the people who helps shape the identity of a whole new society, and the opportunity to be part of that is worth the risk of dying on the way there.

I also feel there are probably many worse and less cool ways to die than being sucked into space, so that’s a plus too.