I can absolutely sympathise with this point. I am new to Postcrossing and tell everyone in my enthusiasm whether they want to hear it or not. My listeners are actually the most surprised that you don’t write back to the sender of a postcard. But the surprise subsides when I explain that you can thank the sender when registering the postcard. They are then relieved that the courtesy is maintained.
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I love your train discription. It is on point.
Postcrossing is a really a paying it forward thing. I always like sending mail as it makes others happy. That is already a big reward for me.
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The most common question I hear is: “Do paper postcards still exist?” (Apparently, the phrase "does anyone need them now?) is implied. And I say, “Of course 
many nice and pleasant people all over the world love to receive and send postcards, sharing the culture, architecture, traditions, paintings, creativity and heritage of their country.” For me, a postcard is like a “time capsule”. Today I wrote something, some thought, idea, feeling or conclusion, and after many days, many kilometers away from me, one day, another person will find my postcard and read what I said. And maybe he will want to keep this postcard, considering it valuable and important. Maybe he will show it to his children or friends as something nice and special. That’s why I always use beautiful stamps, jewelry, and choose a good postcard for the recipient. I like it when my “time capsules” look beautiful.
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Ah, but need is an interesting thing, is it not?
Do I need to write a letter when there’s messaging apps and emails?
Do I need to buy (physical) books when there’s eBooks/audiobooks?
Objectively speaking, I don’t. But I want to.
It is nice to know that I can own and hold a piece of someone, sometimes from far away, in my hands.
Feel the warmth of the words, see the effort that went into the item.
Technology brings convenience yes, but not all things in life have to be instant and fast.
Life is not instant noodles is it? 
I must confess I’ve been thinking a bit about permanence. A postcard, a letter, is a permanent bit of me left in the world. It cannot be deleted, or run out of battery, or suffer from file failure.
I do not need it for survival. I do sure want it though!
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I love your time capsule description!
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That is extremely beautifully said. And so true. I agree wholeheartedly with every word you’ve written.
This account is for my daughter Eliza, who is 8. She loves the mail and goes above and beyond to make every postcard and letter she sends special and heartwarming. I only assist her with browsing the website and (especially) the forum. While I grew up in the time when many people did send mail and writing to cousins and grandparents was a big part of my life, she’s growing up in a completely different world. So when people find out she does it, especially her peers, they’re shocked. They especially don’t get the point of writing (and workin so hard on) a postcard to a random stranger somewhere out in the world. That is the question that gets asked especially often: What’s the point?
It’s so hard to explain. We both loved your response though. We will use the points you raise next time this question comes up in any conversations. Thank you.
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