Brenna Cooper
Death - it's the biggest elephant in the room for mankind.
As a species we've been able to build spaceships which take people to the moon, develop phones which connect you to the other side of the world and even create artificial intelligence... but we can't figure out a way to stop ourselves from dying.
Chances are, the prospect of being long-gone while the rest of the world carries on is something that's extremely uncomfortable, or downright terrifying, to think about.
However if you're feeling skittish about the prospect of your inevitable demise here is a piece from a hospice nurse who recently shared the one thing she believes people should know about death - and how it will help you build a more fulfilling life.
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Hospice nurse Julie McFadden has built herself a platform though educating people about death and what they can expect to happen when either a loved one, or themselves, approach their final days.
According to McFadden, there several common things in which people go through in the final stages of their life, such as common regrets, the phenomena of terminal lucidity as well as even seeing 'visions' of already deceased family members.
During an appearance on Dr Karan Rajan's podcast, McFadden reflected on her work as an end of life carer, revealing why she believes people need to talk about mortality more, as well as expressing what she wished people knew about death.
"Talking about death will not make you die any sooner," she said, adding that being open about the topic will help us all live and die 'better'.
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"Hospice isn't about death," she continued. "It's about life and I know that may sound cheesy but I mean it. It's about living."
The pair then explored how our cultural attitudes towards death and dying over the years has changed and how the topic has almost being 'taboo' in modern societies.
McFadden went on to add that while medical advancements have allowed humans to live longer it's also taken away the 'in your face' nature of death, which means it can be harder for people to come to terms with.
"People were dying in the home and their families were caring for them," she explained.
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"I just think it was more in our face. It was our responsibility to care for our dying versus taking them to the hospital.
"[Death] should be an open thing," she continued. "It takes some time to get used to but [it would] make us a little more comfortable being around death and dying."