IF I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE TO MARS...

Written by: Brandon Drapeau 

I recently fathomed the idea of having the opportunity to move to Mars. I decided to write my thoughts down, because I can’t be the only one.

What if I were to be able to live on Mars? Well, it would be incredible. I would be able to create a new civilization on a whole new planet and make discoveries. I would go down in history as the first man to live on Mars. I could be the leader of civilization, the first civilization on Mars. I would go places where no human has ever gone before. At first glance, having the ability to live on Mars would be pretty cool, and if you were given the option to tag along, your first thought would be “yes!” But there’s a deeper aspect to the question - would you be able to handle leaving your friends and family behind? Would you be able to live on your own, alone, left to fend for yourself? Even if you were provided technology to assure your survival, and you would have enough food, would you be able to leave everything behind?

Personally, I wouldn’t be able to. I like my life the way it is. I like going to school and seeing my friends. Soon I will be able to drive, and I have a full life ahead of me to live with my family and friends. I would miss birthdays, holidays, going to college, getting married, having kids. While it sounds amazing, frankly, I don’t want to throw my life away just to live on a new planet. I would discover incredible things, but where I am now is good for me, and I love my family and friends more than the idea of living on Mars. Everything we have ever known is on Earth - our family, our friends, our memories - yet we still treat it like garbage. We should treat our planet much better than we do, may it as complicated as buying an electric car, or as simple as recycling a water bottle, because in the long run, Earth is all we have.