“Pick a card, any card!”
People get excited and uneasy when they hear a magician speak these words, and feelings of amazement and disbelief ensue once the trick is completed. But for some of us, a deeper sense of wonder occurs when we discover on our own how the illusion is done, how this modern wizard uses physics, psychology, chemistry, and even mathematics to create a feat of so-called magic.
To me, the universe is like a magic trick. Its size, complexity, and hidden secrets can make us uneasy, so much so that we try to explain them as acts of some deity. But centuries of tireless efforts by scientists have provided us with a better understanding of how our universe works, and I find this quest for knowledge as impressive as the universe itself. To this day, I enjoy a great sense of fascination every time a new discovery is made.