Don't fool yourself about this universal truth: every living creature cares about nothing more than its own interests. Whatever seems to block those interests — whether it's a brother, father, child, beloved, or lover — the creature will hate it, reject it, and curse it. By nature, we love nothing more than our own interests. Our interests become our father, brother, family, country, and God. When the gods seem to block what we want, we curse them. We tear down their statues and burn their temples. Just like Alexander ordered the temples of Aesculapius burned when his dear friend died.
For universally, be not deceived, every animal is attached to nothing so much as to its own interests. Whatever then appears to it an impediment to this interest, whether this be a brother, or a father, or a child, or beloved, or lover, it hates, spurns, curses; for its nature is to love nothing so much as its own interests: this is father, and brother, and kinsman, and country, and God. When then the gods appear to us to be an impediment to this, we abuse them and throw down their statues and burn their temples, as Alexander ordered the temples of Aesculapius to be burned when his dear friend died.