When was the last time you had any postal mail that wasn’t a bill or junk? Chances are, unless you have a pen pal or family who send regular cards and letters to each other, junk mail and utility bills are all you ever receive in the post. With emails, texts and cell phones, most people are more accessible than ever before, so what reason could there be for sitting down with paper and pen, and actually handwriting a letter to someone? The excitement and curiosity it provokes when that letter arrives is reason enough.

There are many people who rely on individuals corresponding via postal mail. All the employees of each national postal service could not hope to retain their jobs if only business mail was sent and delivered. They already face stiff competition from other mail carriers, and although in many cases the personal mail costs more to deliver than the face value of the postage, it is the knowledge that the personal mail will still get through that keeps people using the service. Sorting office staff and those employed in post offices are also just as dependent on personal mail as on business mail for their weekly wage.

Pen pals help us to see real life from another perspective. Often it opens doors to experiencing life in a foreign country, possibly in a place we ourselves could never hope to visit. There are those who say that with the Internet, this information is readily available via blogs and web sites. However, to get an intimate knowledge of a small community in Ghana or Peru for example, Internet access may not be in place. The mail will always get through (eventually). Even having a pen pal in your own country can give an insight into a different lifestyle, culture or situation.

For children, having a pen pal can be a good way of teaching responsibility as well as social awareness. The discipline required to answer letters in a timely manner is something many adults have not mastered, and this shows in the lack of response to other forms of modern communication. Teaching children the value of correspondence along with good handwriting and composition skills, by means of a very tangible action such as having a pen pal can be a great inspiration to them. It can be carried out as a group activity, where one class makes a connection with a similar age group of children in a school overseas, so that the letters can be sent regularly and all together in a parcel from teacher to teacher. It can be particularly useful for children with special needs, to help them understand processes and time-scales.

There are certain groups within society who do not have regular contact with their friends and families. Two particular groups are service personnel and prisoners. Their physical situations are often very similar, even though one group arrive there by choice and the other by the consequences of their own actions. Spending long periods away from home, with limited recreational access, basic food and living conditions and an ever present danger can be very lonely, even for those who do have a supportive network of family and friends. Reaching out by letter to someone in the armed forces can be a great way of showing your support for their work and sacrifices.

Inmates all around the world are almost always appreciative of mail. There are of course those who try to use the generosity and compassion of those on the outside to further their own illegal activities. Most, however, simply want to do their time and go home, and having a pen pal to help pass the days is a welcome diversion. There are many religious organisations who run aid programmes for inmates, sending small parcels of books, food and hygiene items and birthday cards to the inmates. Birthdays and holidays usually see suicide attempts escalate among inmates, and receiving a letter, even from a stranger, may be enough to prevent self harm. It may also be enough to prevent the inmate lashing out at a guard or at a fellow prisoner.

The value of having a pen pal cannot be measured in financial terms. It has a social value; one that the individual pays and receives in equal measure. To get mail, you need to take the first step and send mail. Why not give it a try?