I have often hear people say that science kills wonder. By dissecting nature through a rational process we lose the magic, myth, and story behind it all. Robin Ince, host of the BBC Radio program The Infinite Monkey Cage gives an entertaining TED talk that argues against this point of view. Feynman eloquently conveys this idea in this video, and Carl Sagan was the master when it comes to sharing the beauty science brings to the world.
For me, the question I have been trying to answer is who am I? Poetry, art, photography, and my conversations with others provide me with insights into myself. But so does science. As a physicist I study and try to discover the rules that govern nature. These rules are often encoded in mathematics that is intimidating for most. Yet these rules contain a beauty and elegance that rivals the greatest verses of any poet. I believe that physics is a poem that nature has written about how the universe works.
No matter how big we think the universe is, it is bigger. The stars we see in the sky, some of which would take thousands of years to reach riding a beam of light, are our closest neighbours. The same force that causes an apple to fall to the Earth also keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun and is what collapses a star into a black hole. The carbon atoms that make up our bodies were once forged in the heart of a star. Studying physics is a humbling experience.
Science has only increased my capacity for wonder. I view science on equal footing with poetry, art, music and dance. If you don't see the wonder in nature it is because you are not looking hard enough.