It's an appealing fantasy to which I was very strongly drawn in my youth, through O'Neill torii, T.A. Heppenheimer, von Braun, Clark, Asimov, and Heinlein.
I believe I've matured slightly.
Matured in favor of, or in opposition to, or in a different path altogether?
How do you plan to spread that maturity to others if what you're sharing is not clear? I grew up on the same diet of SF authors, and while I do acknowledge the need for work to be done here on earth, we shouldn't let that need tear down progress towards space. Especially when space expenditures are such a small part of what we as a country and the world spend our resources on.
The world, and the technology of it is in constant change; I really like your essay examples, in that the goalposts for your viewpoints are set quite thoroughly. If only everyone were so clear in their arguments...
Several other parts have grown in its place though.