Yeah, maybe this universe is a sub-universe of a larger one.That is my favorite image of it, the expanse, the collapse, then the re-explosion, it's neatly cyclic
I still imagine it in a larger system though, again, I like the foam analogy to imagine this
Maybe this universe is a simulation within another universe. Given the observed tendency for discretization and kinda hidden random number generation in this universe, this seems kinda likely. And maybe the universe simulating this one is also a simulation? But where and what is the topmost simulation? Is it a simulation by the lowest simulation?
It's natural for us to think of a creator for anything, but I think it is literally impossible for us to look beyond a certain point. The deus absconditus if you will.
I'm just kinda sad that our limited lifetimes will not allow us to see the wonders of the universe, that we can't travel the stars and galaxies, that we can't discover the truth and meaning behind it all. We must seek our meaning here, and keep the stars and the universe in our minds as part of the long game.