A static mass produces a gravitational field which can be mapped by clocks. Therefore, the temporal gradient in space produces a force on a mass. The temporal gradient is the cause, the force of gravity is the effect. This reverses the present Imperial dogma.
Inertia is a physical property of (real) space time not a philosophical abstraction.
When a fixed mass is subjected to a force, the gravitational field produced by that mass is distorted. This distortion creates a force on the mass to keep it in motion (falling into its own field?). For a small mass this temporal distortion cannot be practically measured.
For a mass with the size and velocity of the Earth, the temporal distortion caused by the inertial field is strong enough to distort both light rays and affect the time rate of clocks.
Michelson Morley Experiment Used the Wrong Measuring Stick
When a large mass like the Earth is in motion the time rates of widely spaced clocks on its surface can be compared to determine both the direction of the masses motion and its (absolute?) velocity. Apparently absolute motion in space can be directly measured using clocks! Aether is time!
The Michelson Morley experiment was a failure because the local speed of light over such a small distance hardly changes. You have to compare the time rates of clocks at widely separated positions on the Earth to determine the vector (direction) and magnitude (velocity) of your movement through space.
Why are the clock measurements a secret? Literally a hundred major papers out there say these measurements could never exist. Why not test it for yourself?
In the case of the Earth’s velocity (orbiting the Sun) this distortion produces a difference in the rate of time between clocks on the leading (about sunrise) and trailing (about sunset) edges of the Earth of about 4 microseconds at the ecliptic plane (not the same as the equator). This effect is not in any way related to relativity or GR.
The Galactic Inertial Field Pole (potentially the highest time distortion on Earth) which propels the Earth along its galactic journey with the Sun appears to be located about 5 degrees from the Ecliptic Pole (toward the galactic center). The velocity for the Sun is supposed to be about 230 kilometers per second. The potential clock rate differences from the Galactic Inertial field poles on Earth should be about 16 μs (microseconds).
(From my rudimentary calculations) Using the celestial reference system, Earth’s galactic Inertial pole on the Earth’s surface should be around 61 degrees north and the temporal distortion should be maximum when these coordinates are directly overhead. Right Ascension 17 57 27.8 Declination +60 58 31.8.