Steve pretty much all you say is inherently true.
SteveA I few most everything as such...pointless unless I decide otherwise. Unless I (ME) decide otherwise. I dont need soemone else to tell me what has value as I'm not convinced anything really does. Its up to each of us here to decide for ourselves what matters. I chose nationalism. Why? Dunno really just seemed like a natural choice for me. Does it really matter in the long run? Nahhh but I enjoy it so I do it...kinda going off it since I took up poetry though, I'm not sure why this is really. That all sounds rather cynicle but its truly what I believe. We all find something to do with our emotions as a way of refining them and enjoying them to their fullest. Its all about emotion in my opinion...religeon, politics, art...eveyrhting except cynicism. Which is why I make a point of being cynicle towards nothing and surrounding myself with people with as rediculous idea's as possible as, frankly, their company is far more enjoyable than a cynics.
So theres no real material reason too give a damn about nationalism? Yeah but I'd say the same about everything. Besides if you look pretty much anything you do I think you will see its mostly in the service of our vanity. I believe your need to argue is to serve your vanity (and is frankly one of the few options left for a true cynic, which you may or may not be), as is my nationalistic tendancies...and my need to buy nice clothes that make me stand out, and why I post my poems on the web instead of keeping them for my own personal pleasure alone.
Okay thats basically how I view all life.