I didn't get the "table" joke, what is it about?
Under the table is slang in India for bribes.
As many spiritual (or whatever you want to call them) leaders / teachers do, he was using some facts from real life to bring out some point of his.
More than India.
True.
Re:On Loneliness
by the_nozzle on Monday February 13, 2017 @04:44PM
(#13639054)
Knowing that "Wherever they burn books, in the end will also burn human beings." (Heinrich Heine) I am curious of the context ..
Interesting question; I did not think anyone would interpret my quote of JK in the way you seem to have. But yours is certainly a valid possible interpretation, though not the right one, IMO.
To make it clear: I do not think he meant it at all in the way you think - your interpretation is something like the burning of the Library of Alexandria or other such vandalizing acts. I am pretty sure JK meant it something like this:
Do not (slavishly) rely on books to form your opinions; think (critically) for yourself.
Nothing else.
Buddha is supposed to have said much the same - per a book I read:
Appo deepo bhava
which is Pali or Prakrit for:
Be a light unto yourself.
Edit: orasis (sibling comment) probably said it better than me; it's just that in Indian thought, knowledge (jnana) is supposed to be one of the paths. Bhakti (devotion, e.g. Meera) and karma (action, e.g. Arjuna) are two among some others.
- at one point he said, "burn all books, including those of the speaker / author". He used to refer to himself like that, not with "I" or "me" or "mine".
- at one point, in some context, he used the words "over the table, under the table" - before he could even complete the sentence, huge knowing / guilty laughter erupted in the audience.