Anyone here or elsewhere who has a post-Copernican/Galileo/Newton/Einstein
comprehension of the Universe and is conducting Passive and Active SETI knows
the odds and distances in space and time are long.

They will narrow down targets when possible, such as the examples of using
pulsars and supernova as beacons and examining sources visible only in the
infrared (Dyson Shells), but otherwise we and they are in this for the long haul.

And just because we only live for about 80 years as individuals and our society
seems to lose its interest and memory in things on a monthly basis does not
mean that other, especially more advanced, civilizations operate in a similar
manner.

Expanding outward is a natural behavior of all life, both for survival and curiousity.
We want to know what is out there beyond our little Earth. I am sure other beings
want to know who and what else is in our galaxy as well. It is a natural instinct of
life, along with consuming objects for energy and reproduction.