Faith is a very effective technology for maintaining emotional equilibrium even when perceived facts warrant otherwise. This might sound like a cynically sarcastic criticism, but it's actually a flat-out compliment. And that in turn might sound like a cynically utilitarian observation. There is, however, a whole bunch of heft beyond that, too.
Try, for example, replacing "faith" here with "optimism": the same core idea comes through. No matter what you call it---nor whether you bring a big glob of theology along with it or not---here is a tougher help than most: a generosity towards the future.
