rhett,
i used to wonder the same thing. but then i started making friends here and replacing the emptiness that i had since i left the org with real concern, unconditional love, friendship, and most of all understanding. some question whether its healthy to get such things from an online group and they say that people shouldnt take the community to seriously or realisticly. but its really impossible for me to do that and i suspect the people that post goodbyes feel the same way.
if you were in a real life group of friends and family made up of people that have supported and understood you and you felt the need to leave town for whatever reason, you wouldnt just leave and disappear and not say anything to anyone. youd say good bye and give everyone a hug and/or kiss and get/give 'i love yous' and then leave. we maybe in cyberspace but were still real people.
thats just how i see it.
flower