Koenigsberg's Second Law:
That for which we kill & die must be real
The nature of the entity or idea for which human beings kill and die is fungible.* Among these entities or ideas:
  • France
  • Germany
  • The British Empire
  • The (Japanese) Emperor
  • Allah
  • Freedom and democracy
  • A Tamil homeland
  • A more perfect union
  • The Chinese people
The mechanism is the same: memorials erected in the name of those who have died—testify to the reality of the entity or ideal. Death and memorialization perform a validation function: that for which we die for must be real.

*Definition of fungible:

 1: being something (such as money or a commodity) of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in paying a debt or settling an account.

2: capable of mutual substitution : INTERCHANGEABLE