Flexibility is key. Why all the dogma and science for? Humans are the final and poorly calibrated vessels of evaluation/measurement.
Supposedly many favor the Universe will end in a whimper some 10^100 years from now as it keeps expanding & accelerating. There's not nearly enough matter and even dark matter to pull it back together by gravity. Even black holes will eventually evaporate (by Hawking or x-ray radiation). But some physicists say that something in infinity & the very end could create another universe out of nothing given enough chances in that infinity. Then the multiverse theory won't need for that to happen as there's already an infinite number of infinite universes being born and expanding like this one.I would say the universe we know is a former universe that imploded on itself. In a simple way like pulling a sock inside out. Matter would get so dense at one point a mere tug on a thread and the entire sock would be inside out in a flash. I would also say it is perpetual and this universe will eventually get pulled right side out or inside out.
As far as what was here before, that is way too much for a simple mind. How could nothing be something? Even a belief in God, begets the question what was before God? The topic of the universe is a good subject to get stoned and think about.
I didn't read the whole thread was there any Uranus jokes yet?
Why does anybody need to be balancing the pencil?
why would a pencil balance without anyone trying?
and thus the universe
Has anyone said "billons and billions of light years", yet. Carl would have.