“One of the craziest things over these last few crazy years has been watching physics at both ends (subatomic and cosmological) completely fall apart”
??The Standard Model is more robust and confirmed than ever.
Never forget: all models and theories are wrong; a very small number are useful. Models are simplifications by definition. The standard model doesn't include gravity. The model has proven useful, but if you looked under the hood, you might be horrified.
Physicists collect extremely precise data via experiments, then add to the standard model factors and formulas to match the data. These sometimes look shaky and completely made up. They often have no explanation other than the resulting formulas fit the current data.