I agree with the main point here: a potent external source of motivation is an important rationality attractor. This is one of my greatest failings as a rationalist--on most issues I just don't care. (I have a hard time with empathy in general, and I find it really difficult to care about people I can't see.)

Extremely petty nitpick: I don't like the term "something to protect." For whatever reason, the phrase evokes a mental image of rationalization, and when I hear it I always think of someone trying to protect a particular belief from rationality's gaze. Whenever I see a reference to this post, I have to remind myself that "something to protect" means a noble cause that you need rationality for, not an irrational belief.