Gareth O'Callaghan: We are afraid of getting old because it means becoming invisible

A friendship born in a supermarket during covid revealed how fear of ageing is really a fear of invisibility and disconnection

In our youth-obsessed culture in which people are afraid to age, it seems the older you get, the more your importance is diminished.

Franz Kafka once said: “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” 

I don’t consider myself old, but I’m acutely aware that I am getting older — more so than I was 10 years ago.