Well put...
...when you put it like that I can only agree.
Do you yearn for more though? Bases, colonies etc...
At the same time I think we're being overly sanguine about our abilities to get to Mars and live there for a scientifically interesting time. We have a lot to learn about preserving food for long enough, for example. All very practical things that will help us in practical ways on Earth - that's reason enough, but with the added bonus of two worlds improved for the price of colonising one.