We rode in the morning. We are having lunch at BoJangles Diner in Kalispell. Malts and burgers and fries. Breaking bread or sipping a malt together is a great way to build rapport.

There have been plenty of people in my life who have gone on to bigger and better things. I do not believe it is manipulative to want to maintain those relationships. There are plenty of poor powerless people who I try to keep as friends, too.

I try to maintain relationships with everyone.

You care about those other people. They will know if you care about them. They will listen to you if you care about them.
If someone is rational and not crazy, you will be able to influence him some. Better  some influence on him than none.
Could people or friends who knew Hitler or Stalin or Saddam Hussein have been able to modulate the intensity of those despots’ actions by being involved in those men’s lives and being involved at earlier stages?
It is worth a try. What made those men go off the deep end? Could it have been prevented by sane caring friends?