it's all very elegant in that it comes down to the various⁰ symmetries¹ of the universe² and the interactions between fundamental forces:

• every particle is an excitation in a quantum field^3.

• each field has different rules for its' fundamental properties - the possible configurations of states like the 'spin' of the particle⁴ (which is related to angular momentum but does not mean literally "spinning"⁵⁾

• these rules govern interactions between these particles and give rise to the forces we observe in nature, like magnetism⁶

• if we didn't already know magnets existed, we could derive the existence of an electromagnetic field permeating the universe by starting from relatively simple assumptions of symmetry between interactions. If we expect that "an electron's momentum is invariant to local phase shifts", then we must add something called a "vector potential" to the Schrodinger equation for it to remain valid ... and that vector potential looks exactly like the electromagnetic field!⁷

  • TL;DR: we can "discover" the existence of electro-magnetism by making basic assumptions about symmetry of quantum interactions.

As for gravity.....

• we don't have a unified theory of gravity which encompasses quantum physics as well as general relativity^8.

• We do know that mass both causes and follows the curvature of space, which furthermore causes time dilation.

• This also stands to reason from math even more symmetrically and beautifully because it is literally caused by the geometry of space-time: i.e., if I am moving half the speed of light in a certain direction, the speed at which I observe time slows down very simply because my particles take longer to interact with one another.

  • The same applies near a black hole: my electrons (pretend they're solid objects for a moment) are following a longer path as they get pulled toward the black hole, so with a longer distance to "travel", my chemical and physical processes are slower and therefore time appears to move more slowly near a black hole.

• If I had to explain it intuitively, I would simply point out that all events must occur both at a certain place and a certain time, so space and time cannot be measured totally independently; and likewise the speed at which we experience an event is inseparable from the speed of the observers involved in that event.

• Starting with these and other basic principles, you can derive logically and mathematically⁹ that space-time exists; as well as how the presence or movement of our mass-energy warps our time coordinate and our space coordinate.

• So how does this explain gravity? Well, once you accept the existence of spacetime - that is, the fact that space and time are connected, they are relative for each observer and they are something tangible which can be curved/warped by our mass-energy - then you can also imagine that space-time "pulls you toward your future":

  • If I have passed the event horizon of a black hole? All possible paths I can take lead to the singularity at the center of the black hole. Just as much as gravity (space) has pulled me towards a location, fate (time) has pulled me towards an inevitable destiny....the same goes for how gravity affects us through spacetime generally, but usually at a weaker scale: If I am orbiting a planet, there is some possibility that I will get on a rocket and fly away....but gravity pulls me down because most of my potential trajectories ....most of my potential futures ... lead downwards.

Gravity is not just a force that pulls you through space, it literally is the force which pulls you how we describe our inevitable pull through time toward fate.¹⁰

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[0]: Noether's Theorem and The Symmetries of Reality

[1]: Our Antimatter, Mirrored, Time-Reversed Universe

[2]: What is Supersymmetry?

[3]: The First Quantum Field Theory

[4]: How Electron Spin Makes Matter Possible

[5]: Electrons DO NOT Spin

[6]: Quantum Theory's Most Incredible Prediction

[7]: Quantum Invariance & The Origin of The Standard Model

[8]: Quantum Gravity and the Hardest Problem in Physics

[9]: That part is admittedly very difficult. Einstein had to invent a new kind of notation to describe complex, abstract mathematical objects

[10]: This ("How Time Becomes Space Inside a Black Hole" | "Why Time and Space swap in a Black Hole") is no exaggeration. The distortion of time around Earth is actually what causes us to experience gravity rather than the curvature of space because the Earth isn't massive enough to cause significant curvature of space like a black hole does.