Added 5 16 2009 in the midst of reading the invisible century

The impression of being pulled up in the elevator at a constant velocity is identical to the impression of gravity. So, gravity in fact, might be nothing more than our own inertia struggling against the motion around us. That gets rid of the mystery of the force of gravity (gets rid of the trouble of action at a distance). It is not so much an attraction between objects as it is simply the tendency of the mass around us get in our way.

So let’s consider something called inertial memory. I am a collection of atoms who brought their own inertial history to the collection that is me. We together have a unique inertial history that is constantly bumping up against other slightly different inertial histories. Voila! The impression of gravity! Not only the impression of gravity but the fact of gravity!

But how do concentrations of inertial encounters, like planets, occur?
Probably more to the point, how do concentrations, like people and rocks, occur? What glue holds them together and causes them to act as a group?
And why does light appear to bend when it encounters one of those concentrations? Does light exhibit inertial history?