I used to think all that. But watching Artemis2 for 10 days gave me a new perspective. The earth is the exception to what’s out there. Most of the universe, at least the part we can observe, is just dead matter - bits and pieces of dead matter millions of miles from each other. There’s no place like earth. We will never flourish on another planet the way we do here even though it may be technically possible to creates bases. If we destroy this then sayonara to the only oasis of civilization in the middle of a vast nothingness.
It is the challenging harshness of Space that will keep Civilization itself going. The conditions there will not tolerate dumb mistakes. The kind of people who will survive out there have to be , by necessity, our most competent. Right now Space travel is a big money pit. Elon has proved it can make money. Profit. That is what Space expansion needs and with automation getting better ever day that is how it it is going to make the big bucks . Wherever profit grows people will follow.