It seems to me that 'ethics', institutional or academic or emotive, come into play when we
discard narrative beliefs that we recognize as conflicting with our ethical values.

Indeed. The challenge, then, is more complex than becoming more educated or observational or more empathically aware of our environment. But the answer, I believe, lies within our nature, our natural instinct for home and hearth. Our ability, though, to dig deeper is, as you say, complicated by our individual narrative beliefs. But it's also made more difficult by the world we live in. A world where the antiquated concept of "the other," once prevalent in Chinese villages, actually exists on a global scale wherein we are all intertwined.

It's actually one of the reasons I like the Hundredth Monkey Syndrome. That is, the possibility does exist that kindness, compassion (all that good stuff) will cross borders and that, yes, to answer your question regarding nationalism, a holistic approach may be one answer, but I of course realize that this is a problem that has existed since leaders became leaders and borders were drawn as the wars dragged on and the people just longed for, again, home and hearth, and that, therefore, nationalism can only be seen as a means by which the people are controlled or, played, to use a more contemporary term.

So, there are sheep and there are puppets and there are puppeteers. North Korea, hmm, are they the only ones who have the people duped? Fervent nationalism only proves that Machiavellianism is alive and well. But worse, it breeds contempt for others and supports, as you say, their own narrative until, with blinders on, they cannot see the antithesis of their unwarranted bias.

The Great Wall in China, just as an aside, was built, literally, on the blood and bones of conscripts. The bones of a million souls support the wall. People no different than you and I torn from their families and forced to build a stupid wall until they dropped dead from poor nutrition and overwork.

But the Chinese have always had a belief and hope for a benevolent ruler. Sometimes it happened. Dynasties rose and fell dependent on which generation it would take to turn to malevolence and lose their "Mandate from Heaven."

But I digress, Your post got me going. Thanks. Wouldn't it be nice, though, if words like nobility and wisdom and benevolence rolled nicely off the tongue of our leaders? Would that be enough to start turning the tide?

"Been There" just posted a picture that says so much it makes my words as nothing. The Canadians hopefully recognize the nobility of their young leader and, also hopefully, the country itself will continue to embrace immigration.

Oh, yeah, the rest of you dudes, those of you who equate the value of a tax dollar to the value of a human life and find the life not important enough, keep counting your pennies and enjoying your pretty little watches and your pretty little whores as children on your own planet suffer because you think they should just hang out where they came from. Because, yeah, that's what's really important - more stuff and more stuff to stuff your gluttonous selves with.

Social Anthropologists who have studied the affects of the current mania for things and the need for individuals in society to be abreast of all things tech, note that a very large portion of the mind, as each minute of the day passes, is devoted to the calculation and self reminders of finances. What a waste. But it shows why there's so little room for what a friend of mind would call "good clear thinking."