Perhaps these individuals: Henri David Thoreau, Leonard Cohen and YLea* could be called "major influences" but I'd have to list thousands to do credit to the request. I've been influenced by lay teachers, priests, nuns, professionals in what I term "working" fields such as logging, plumbing, seamstressing, cooking, child care, bus drivers, delivery people, carpenters, writers, artists of many talents, speakers (particularly those from developing and oppressed nations), and finally I'd add that theoretical physicists and science fiction writ more...
