The reason the universe has always existed (and everything else) and allways will.

originally posted by: LightSourceDo you not use energy when you think or visualize something?

The evidence is that the brain seems to use more energy concurrently with the thoughts perceived.
'Big' thoughts seem to come with big energy expenditure.
Easier (less energy expended) to not think.
So?
We expend energy just looking at the moon.
We are little balls of energy, for sure, but deeper than that, in the land of the not easily perceived, quantum mechanics tells us that even 'energy' is 'Mind', 'information waves', in which, depending on our limited Perspectives, we perceive the moon or a thought or 'energy'.
It is 'energy' that we call 'material', 'physical'.
It is in 'Mind' that we find what we call 'energy' to find what we call the 'physical', and anything else.

A question just occurred to me; What is 'energy' without the circular reference to 'matter'.
Can 'energy' be defined, clearly, without the circular definition of E=MC^2

A quick search finds;

"In physics, energy is a property of objects which can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms, but cannot be created or destroyed."

A 'nasty smell' can be a " property of objects which can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms, but cannot be created or destroyed".
So a 'nasty smell' = energy?
Yes, I guess that it does.
One and the same?
All 'things' are E=MC^2...
What about non-things?
Love?
Compassion?
Honesty?
Empathy?
They don't seem to fall in the E=MC^2 category.

So, you are right in that every'thing' = 'energy' = every'thing', but that does neglect certain 'features' of Reality in it's transcendental entirety.

And that Universe 'forever' thing?
'Forever' =;

Every moment of existence exists Now!

"The Laws of Nature are not rules controlling the metamorphosis of what is, into what will be. They are descriptions of patterns that exist, all at once... " - Genius; the Life and Science of Richard Feynman
All 'eternity' at once; Here! Now!!

There is only one moment (Planck moment; 10^-43/sec; "almost" one billion trillion trillion trillionths of a second!!!) of the entirety of existence/Reality/the Universe!
All existence, ever, is one, literally, 'timeless' moment!
Now!

The only 'forever', is the 'timeless' Now! *__-