25th June 2010, 5:15 PM
Darunia Wrote:English Settler: Hey, man... I was thinking of going to the New World and maybe starting a colony... for posterity... opening up whole new trade routes, starting a new world... braving the elements... exploring the unknown, pressing the envelope of humanity... making a name for myself, blazing a trail...
16th Century Stupid Luddite Schmuck: Nah. Let's worry about 16th century English problems. There's no need or hurry to do that.
English Settler: Well, I mean---like... it's...
16CLS: Who cares. Trees and hostile natives. Unless they have cities of gold let's worry about the tithes and the inquisition first. Get your mind out of the clouds and focused onto my down-to-earth and mundane things. There is no reason to go there. Besides, have you seen how big the ocean is? The logistics of sailing across it are mind-boggling. It's not like crossing the Thames.
English Settler: Yea, you're right. Boy was I foolish.
Aren't you glad people haven't always been so narrow minded about the future?
Your analogy is flawed.
The New World had untapped resources, and there a pressing reason to leave the oppression of their homeland. We have no such need to go to Mars, nor is there much of anything of such value there to offset the cost of bringing it back, at least not with the current methods of getting to and from. It'd be a huge money vacuum that would, in all reality, give us nothing in return but the ability to say "We did that. Go us."
The Earthworker Race has ended. Everybody wins.