The gravitational potential (GP) is widely ignored by the science community which appears rather strange as it is responsible for a series of quite obvious physical phenomena such as eg:
1. GP is a quantity that sums up to huge values in space as it falls off by 1/r and so mainly buids up from distant masses of the universe.
2. GP gradients, ie a secondary feature of GP, are the origin of huge forces that keep planets in orbit and galaxies in clusters.
3. Cumulative GP of all masses within the observable universe directly leads to E = mc2 and indicates relation between gravitation and electromagnetic properties of space:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_gravitational_potential_responsible_for_both_the_mass-energy_equivalence_and_the_electromagnetic_properties_of_space
4. GP has been identified as responsible for the observation of light bending over large distances (Einstein rings) by heavy celestial bodies.
5. GP is the basis for calcuation of escape velocities and the generally accepted Schwarzschild radius.
6. Interaction of accelerated bodies with distant masses of the universe was suggested by Ernst Mach and substantiated by James C. Keith, see appended reference on page 11, as the origin of acceleration forces.