Love your parents - while we are busy growing up, they are growing old.
Perception is often more important than reality.
And bad stays. Bad doesn't go away. You bury bad, it digs itself out. You throw bad in the middle of the ocean, it comes back at you like a tidal wave.
"Terrific," Simon said. "The psychos are on my side."
Most religious people don't believe the dogma, Ash. We take from it what we want, we discard what we don't. We form whatever narrative we like - kind God, vengeful God, active God, laid-back God, whatever. We just make sure we get something out of it. Maybe we get life everlasting while people we resent burn for eternity. Maybe we get something more concrete - money, a job, friends. You just change the narrative.
There are virtually no major life decisions you make that are not in some way based on your finances.
He didn't believe in karma, but then again there was no reason to poke karma in the ribs.