I heard someone say, recently, that being a woman “of a certain age,” carried with it the “gift” of invisibility. They said that no one really even saw you anymore, that no one thought much about who you were or what you did, one way or the other.

That comment has been clanging around in my brain for days. It disturbs me on so many levels. It disturbs me that women, specifically, are being seen as inevitably diminished and, essentially, discarded. It disturbs me that this sentiment is, well and truly, ageist. And it disturbs me because there are people, with whom I’ve shared this thought, said they welcomed being “invisible.”

Those who thought that “invisible” was a great state of being referenced feeling that the pressure was off, that they didn’t feel judged in the eyes of others. I would contend that confidence in yourself is a far healthier way to approach that than a willingness to disappear.

When we discard people because of their age, young or old, we fail ourselves and we fail our society as a whole. We all have something to contribute. We all have a reason for being and a purpose. Whether you are 25 or 105, you still have value and, if we treat people as invisible, if we allow ourselves to be treated as invisible, then we lose all that they have to offer—as well as a bit of our own humanity.

Don’t count me out until I draw my last breath and I will do the same for you. We do not have the right, or the ability, to “throw away” others because of their age nor should we allow anyone to do that to us. Believe in your value and the value of others, believe in everyone’s ability to continue to grow and to fill their full hearts.