The unbearable lightness of many pro-independence movements

This piece of the Wall Street Journal is a good example of the waste of talent, money and time of some secessionist movements in Europe (one of the richest regions of the world) in the XXIst century. For example, some citizens in Sardinia (a Mediterranean island) want to leave Italy and join Switzerland:
“Switzerland and Sardinia are a natural match,” says Mr. Napoleone, also 51. “What one is missing is the other’s strength. Together, they would make a very successful joint venture.”
Sardinia, with a flag recalling the island’s 14th-century kingdom, has a long tradition of independence fever. Over the centuries, it was passed around by foreign powers before finally being tacked on to modern Italy in 1861. With a population of 1.5 million, the island, which lies between Italy and Spain, is today home to more than 10 parties calling for secession from Rome, emphasizing a culture, dialect, and history distinct from Italy’s mainland.(...)
“I’m fighting for the future generations and for my own children,” Mr. Caruso says. “Switzerland is the ideal nation to help us secure our culture and traditions.”
The duo have each invested about €10,000, or about $10,875, of their own money and spend several hours a day tending the movement’s Facebook group and community page. While they often find themselves responding to comments branding their campaign as “folly,” they also count thousands of online supporters and have raised a few thousand euros selling T-shirts and other curios emblazoned with the movement’s red and white flag.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s border has been mostly unchanged since the 1815 Congress of Vienna. The newest Swiss canton is Jura, added in 1979, but it was carved out of an existing canton."
When one reads about others, it is perhaps easier to feel the embarrassment.