I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Mars, however, will play ZERO role in humanity's long-term survival. The effort required to make it livable is unthinkable, even with futuristic technologies like molecular replicators (which won't be available for at least a century). And even then, it is a **** life. Mars has one problem that cannot be fixed; low gravity. Humans cannot survive long term in that environment, let alone have and raise children. I've read some attempts to remedy that in serious sci-fi, but it involves re-engineering the human race. Which would mean Mars colonists would no longer be compatible with Earth!
Mars terraforming is a silly fantasy when vastly superior options exist. Namely, spinning orbitals. You send out robots to mine asteroids, bring back the material to Earth orbit, and construct a spinning ring around the planet (and eventually farther out in space). That way, you'll have as much area as you want. You can even build it large enough to fit a trillion humans if needed. It would have the same gravity as earth. It will be built with the same atmosphere. Natural environments can be designed to provide spacious rural areas with all of Earth's ecosystems. And all of that would be easier than actually making Mars barely livable!
A hundred billion dollars spent on automated asteroid mining would be a history-changing endeavor. A Mars colony would be pretty cool and inspirational, or something.
