--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are social beings who make communities…" description: "\"We are social beings who make communities with an urgency, and it is a stern charge to make us take refuge in the lonely world of oneself. ...Racism at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/vijay-prashad-13643_asking_we-are-social-beings-who-make-communitie_513227.jpg" --- # We are social beings who make communities with an urgency… ![“We are social beings who make communities with an urgency, and it is a stern charge to make us take refuge in the lonely world of oneself. ...Racism attempts to occlude our cosmopolitanism (of the songs in and out of our bones), and it often appropriates our mild forms of xenophobia into its own…” quote by Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/vijay-prashad-13643_asking_we-are-social-beings-who-make-communitie_513227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/vijay-prashad-13643_asking_we-are-social-beings-who-make-communitie_513227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/vijay-prashad-13643_asking_we-are-social-beings-who-make-communitie_513227.jpg) > “We are social beings who make communities with an urgency, and it is a stern charge to make us take refuge in the lonely world of oneself. ...Racism attempts to occlude our cosmopolitanism (of the songs in and out of our bones), and it often appropriates our mild forms of xenophobia into its own virulent project. Difference among peoples is something that we negotiate in our everyday interactions, asking questions and being better informed of our mutual realities. To transform difference into the body is an act of bad faith, a denial of our shared nakedness.” [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings inherently seek community, but racism blocks our natural cosmopolitanism, turning ordinary differences into hostile divisions. **In simple terms:** Community is natural; racism blocks it. Key Takeaway Recognize and bridge differences. Themes community racism identity cosmopolitanism humanity Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace diversity training - neighborhood relations - international diplomacy - educational curricula Key Concepts social cohesion otherness collective identity Questions to Reflect On - How do everyday interactions shape our perception of difference? - What steps can we take to counteract subtle xenophobia? A Different Perspective Racism can be deeply entrenched, making change slow and resistant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Cosmopolitanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmopolitanism/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Interaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interaction/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Lonely world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely-world/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Urgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urgency/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Xenophobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/xenophobia/) ## Related quotes > [First yoga deals with health, strength and conquest of the body. Next, it lifts the veil of difference between the body and the mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/first-yoga-deals-with-health-strength-and-conquest-of-the-body-next/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Were it ever to be proposed again to enter into a Union with such a people, I could no more consent to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/were-it-ever-to-be-proposed-again-to-enter-into-a-union-with-such-a/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [When u feel lonely and alone & cannot see any one around you, the world seems to be fading away, come along with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-josland/when-u-feel-lonely-and-alone-cannot-see-any-one-around-you-the-world/) [A Josland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-josland/) > [“The sky is deep, the sky is dark. The light of the stars is o damn stark/When I look up, I fill with fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-sky-is-deep-the-sky-is-dark-the-light-of-the-stars-is-o-damn/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I'm so lonely in the world I want to peel all of my flesh off and walk, just bone and gristle, straight into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-glasgow/i-m-so-lonely-in-the-world-i-want-to-peel-all-of-my-flesh-off-and/) [Kathleen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-glasgow/) > [I know of no realm of life that can provide more companionship in a lonely world or greater feelings of security and purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/i-know-of-no-realm-of-life-that-can-provide-more-companionship-in-a/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [I can't believe in the God of my Fathers. If there is one Mind which understands all things, it will comprehend me in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-kersh/i-can-t-believe-in-the-god-of-my-fathers-if-there-is-one-mind-which/) [Gerald Kersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-kersh/) > [I do whatever comes my way. But I get burned out on stage. It's a lonely world. I think part of the romanticism about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/i-do-whatever-comes-my-way-but-i-get-burned-out-on-stage-it-s-a/) [Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/) > [A lonely world, a lonely girl, one lonely life where she tries to fit in. At school she feels like a fool thinking what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/a-lonely-world-a-lonely-girl-one-lonely-life-where-she-tries-to-fit/) Slowly\_fading > [It's a lonely world, being independent, and they can come away with the idea that if Lloyd Kaufman can make movies with people getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-kaufman/it-s-a-lonely-world-being-independent-and-they-can-come-away-with-the/) [Lloyd Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-kaufman/) > [...whoever you are, not matter how lonely the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh & exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/whoever-you-are-not-matter-how-lonely-the-world-offers-itself-to-your/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“I don't want to be alone thinkin' bout you girl I got nothin' left to hold in my lonely world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/i-don-t-want-to-be-alone-thinkin-bout-you-girl-i-got-nothin-left-to/) [Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/) > [At the core of our existence, we all experience the basic ache of feeling separate. We long to be united with someone or something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/at-the-core-of-our-existence-we-all-experience-the-basic-ache-of/) Pacifiersucker > [Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/whoever-you-are-no-matter-how-lonely-the-world-offers-itself-to-your/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Life is very confusing. One day we are the happiest person in the world and tomorrow we are most lonely in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/life-is-very-confusing-one-day-we-are-the-happiest-person-in-the/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) ## More by Vijay Prashad > [Organizing is always a relationship between the person who arrives and says 'Let's meet together' and the person who comes to the meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/organizing-is-always-a-relationship-between-the-person-who-arrives/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [You cannot have politics without building mass-movements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/you-cannot-have-politics-without-building-mass-movements/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [We would like to participate in manifestations, in Occupies and things like that. We would like to be involved in a march. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/we-would-like-to-participate-in-manifestations-in-occupies-and-things/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [Mr. Assad is not going to be able to feel like there is a moderate opposition that actually threatens him. Currently, the Assad government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/mr-assad-is-not-going-to-be-able-to-feel-like-there-is-a-moderate/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [The Islamic State is able to raise finances through taxation, through theft of banks, and certainly through oil sales from the Omar oilfields in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/the-islamic-state-is-able-to-raise-finances-through-taxation-through/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [Where there is a living memory of struggle, they have a living memory of the rebellion. Where there's no struggle afterward the rebellion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/where-there-is-a-living-memory-of-struggle-they-have-a-living-memory/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [It is convenient for Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair to say the rise of the Islamic State has nothing to do with the Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/it-is-convenient-for-hillary-clinton-and-tony-blair-to-say-the-rise/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [The best intentions (of respect and tolerance) can often be annoying to those whose cultures are not in dominance: we feel that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/the-best-intentions-of-respect-and-tolerance-can-often-be-annoying-to/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [You see, one strand...of anarchism believed that you needed to use essentially homeopathic doses of terror by assassinating people, et cetera, the so-called 'propaganda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/you-see-one-strand-of-anarchism-believed-that-you-needed-to-use/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [However you define territorial ambitions, it need not be a country that's right next to the U.S. for it to exercise its extraterritorial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/however-you-define-territorial-ambitions-it-need-not-be-a-country/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [Interestingly, what the bourgeois women's groups in India wanted to do in the nationalist period is to have the peasant women essentially follow them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/interestingly-what-the-bourgeois-women-s-groups-in-india-wanted-to-do/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [Mr. Obama at the UN said that the large nations should not trample small ones in pursuit of what he called "territorial ambition". These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/mr-obama-at-the-un-said-that-the-large-nations-should-not-trample/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [In times when the tempo for struggle is not very high, you prepare populations by conducting acts of courage-building, confidence-building, respect for each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/in-times-when-the-tempo-for-struggle-is-not-very-high-you-prepare/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [To build a mass movement, nonviolence is indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/to-build-a-mass-movement-nonviolence-is-indispensable/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [Over the last two or so decades, there's been an increase in thinking among the Left, liberals, intellectuals in the direction of so-called spontaneity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/over-the-last-two-or-so-decades-there-s-been-an-increase-in-thinking/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) [Explore all 49 Vijay Prashad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are social beings who make communities with an urgency, and it is a stern charge to make us take refuge in the lonely world of oneself. ...Racism attempts to occlude our cosmopolitanism (of the songs in and out of our bones), and it often appropriates our mild forms of xenophobia into its own virulent project. 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