A postcard from the future

Oh I love postcards! I should tell you.

I have a cherished collection of postcards that my friends have sent me over the years and sometimes I go through them nostalgically. Some are from far exotic places, some are from museums, some are from beaches and some from heritage sites. As I was going through them I imagined them walking up and down the streets laughing and bantering as they always do, looking into the windows of shops and houses; trying foods and fancy clothes; or just nursing their heads from a hangover from the previous night getting plain wasted. Some tell me "you should come see this place", some tell me "the food was delicious and the people are very kind" and others say "the weather was awesome!" but most often than not most cards say "you are dearly missed".

Apart from the postcards from my friends, I also have a collection of postcards that I have picked for myself on my travels; a sort of my own postcard travel journal. When I go on vacations or to a touristy place like a museum, I pick up postcards from these places as a way of reminding me of my travel. You see I am not very good at taking photographs so I prefer to buy postcards that show these places in all their beauty. I rather not keep fiddling my phone or camera taking pictures, when I can spend the moment taking in the scene and the life there. When I get back to my room I think of the day and write down the memorable bits in them and when I go through them after many months or years the memory of that trip is still fresh and vivid.

The places on these postcards are beautiful, the people on these cards look happy, but sometimes I think, for how long? Will the cafe and the markets still be there 20 years from now? Will the mountains still have snow on them 100 years from now? Will the people be kind and welcoming in the distant future? Would the countries be friendly towards one another? Would people be travelling more than before, exploring and interacting with each other, sharing their cultures and lifestyles or will they be boxed in their own homes and minds, caged by their prejudices and mistrust, far too afraid of venturing out? Would there be fewer wars? Will there be fewer refugees? And sometimes I do wonder will we human survive the next couple of centuries at all?

I know this planet is precious and people's lives are fragile. I fear the direction in which the world's politics is headed. There is mistrust and bickering, war and sufferings. I see that most nation's governments and their policies neither care for the present nor consider the future, they fuel bigotry and hate, promote arms race and propaganda.

But I don't want to be a pessimist. I do hope the world will be a better place, and that there will still be postcards in the future and that people will send them to their loved ones all over the world. I do wish I could see that world of the future and send a postcard to myself saying "wish you were here".