So, there I was randomly surfing YouTube and I came across a video clip of a Joe Rogan podcast with Brian Greene (a popular physicist). It was about the big bang and what there could have been before that event.
I have thought about it countless times before and I have read tons of articles about it too. But unfortunately, we just don't have an answer at the moment. Maybe in the future, we will find out but there is also a possibility that we will never know.
Brian Greene did a great job of explaining the possible answers. I really suggest you check out the podcast for more insights into topics like the universe, consciousness, our place in the universe and so on.
Anyways, back to the question of what was there before the big bang. Brian's answer made it clearer than ever for me about this mind-bending question. He talked about two of the many explanations.
Before Creation...
The first thing he talked about was that there may already have been a universe before the big bang. And it could really have taken place in a certain place and time within that universe. If that is so, we are part of a much larger and incomprehensible reality!
This really means that there could be universes within universes and nobody knows (or can know) how far back this chain goes or how forward it can go. This is a mind-boggling thing to think about.
The second answer is something that I personally believe in. He said that the very question is invalid. The big bang might have been an event that created time itself. So, asking what was before time is just unintuitive.
Greene gives an excellent example to illustrate this. Imagine if you ask someone to point you towards north direction. They do so and you walk in that direction. After some time you ask another person to point you towards the north direction and they too point you towards the same direction.
You keep on walking and eventually reach the north pole. Standing at the pole, if you ask someone where north is, that question is invalid. There is no notion of going further north than the north pole. The same could apply to the big bang as well. Quite simple, if you think about it!