As others have said on here: Everyone dies. I think as most people get older, deep down, look forward to their death, because their health begins to decline and life isn't as enjoyable as it was when they were young. For some, this happens earlier in life. So, as far as dealing with it, as you put it, I think many people deal with it quite well. The theist believes that there will be a blissful eternal life for them, and the atheist believes in an eternal rest (non-existence). Either way, people deal with their own deaths pretty well, I think. People fear for others deaths more than theirs.
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' -Isaac Asimov-
