When I was much younger, I thought we understood so much more about how things work in the universe.  The more I learn about science, I find that things are far more complex than I ever imagined.  Instead of feeling defeated or intimidated by the universe and fill those gaps with magic/mysticism, I hope we can figure as much out as possible before we destroy ourselves or fail to move out before the super nova of our sun gets us.

As an institution and method, science is applied more and more to reduce pain and suffering of the living things that inhabit the earth.  The same cannot be said for other institutions and/or methods of understanding the universe.