The Chinese are going to the moon. Mere rocks thrown from the moon hit with the energy of atomic bombs. Not a good idea to let them have a monopoly.
I do have an idea of how space could become profitable. Imagine a self replicating factory made for the moon. Further assume radio instructions to that factory could be sent to retool and produce other useful things. One such factory would become 2, than 4,8,16,32.....a huge number of factories. Said factories could produce all the stuff people needed to live off-world and plenty more for profit. Automation has not reached that point yet, but it will soon. It's a huge windfall for whoever does it first.
You are correct, I have no right to expect anybody else to pay for it. Perhaps it is a concern on my part that someday some madman from Iran or somewhere equally evil is going to turn the world into a radioactive ash heap. People living off world would ensure that civilization would continue.
I’m not very worried about Iran, at least until they’ve developed their rocket-powered camels.
As for “civilization,” it did have a pretty good start, but what there is now is probably not worth preserving. Not sure human beings doing to the rest of the universe what they’ve done here is such a hot idea.
Nobody can predict the future. In “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” the very nature of life on the moon “civilized” some very uncivilized people. They only threw rocks to defend themselves.
Nevertheless, I believe the day will come when some humans have fully developed their human potential as independent individualists, and will be the ones who do begin true space exploration, and then eventually, migration. I do not think you or I will see it, even if you are 50 years younger than I.
Hank