The Universe Bounced. I Broke.

I spent a week reading papers about the universe being inside a black hole. I should have been excited—new data, new theory, the chance to see everything differently. But all I could think about was how the universe might rebound, but I don’t. The PI said, “It’s elegant. Simpler than the Big Bang.” I nodded, pretending I understood. I re-read the same paragraph about quantum limits until the words lost meaning. I tried to care about spin directions of ancient galaxies, but my mind kept spinning on its own axis: what if none of this matters? What if I’m just stuck, compressed by expectations, waiting for some cosmic bounce that never comes? I used to believe science would make me feel less small. Now I just feel like matter at the quantum limit—crushed, but not allowed to disappear. #ScienceFatigue #LabBurnout #ImposterInTheRoom #Science