I have the same approach. The mortality rate is inevitable, but how we personally handle it doesn't make it any less shitty. Of course it's best to make the most out of a bad situation, but therein lies the problem. [i]A bad situation.[/i] Some people are just more prone to giving up and letting it bother them, but this isn't a RP mortality rate issue you're discussing. It's a problem of how people let things affect them. 

That being said, it's shitty to hear people say "RPing is about the journey" after spending so much time on failed RPs. For some, it's [i]not[/i] about the journey, but instead creating a fulfilling story that leads to some form of [i]closure,[/i] and statements like that don't help. What you do is fine, but that doesn't stop it from being a real issue.

There's only so much one can do in the partner selection process, too. No matter how much people want to stick around, no matter how much promise people show, life sucks. Things will come up. And the chances of that happening only increase when more players join in. A good GM can work miracles and help ease the pain should players vanish, but that requires a competent GM; an issue which requires its own thread (and if you're in a 1x1 you're just screwed if the other person vanishes).

So, sure. We can make the most of it and continue our eternal search for a fulfilling story, but it's not for the faint of heart. Of course people will get upset. Of course people will complain. If you're able to deal with it, then that's great. Welcome aboard to the train of apathy and shitposting. It's just not that easy for those with different views on the subject.