For me it is to actually see the splendour of the cosmos, not look with my feeble eyes at a fuzzy grey patch, with averted vision, convincing myself it is what I am looking at
I need to see real detail, colour, structure, not...a fuzzy grey nothingness.
To each their own - I really don't need a 20" scope to see a SMALL amount of colour compared to what I can see with a camera
I do OCCASIONALLY enjoy cruising star fields with a wide EP or planets, but less often than imaging. I have used large instruments, and visual just doesn't grab me still.