Escalation is another one of those words. Depending on the situation, it certainly can put forth any number of ideas.
As a singular verb, I like the word. To increase rapidly.
As we have seen in life, this can either be a good thing, or a bad thing, which is contingent on the “thing” that is increasing.
Perhaps, there was a significant escalation of Snicker Bars delivered to the doorsteps of hundreds of homes today. That would probably be considered a good thing by many individuals.
When I was a kid, I used to love to ride escalators. Up, down. It didn’t matter. I liked it when they crisscrossed at a mid-way point, and you could see people going in the other direction. I’d make faces or wave. And back in that time, I gripped the railing without a second thought as to what hand may have been there before mine. Moments later, I was standing at the candy counter stuffing something into my mouth. Here I am today, thankfully. Somehow, coming through unscathed.
I certainly never thought about why the “escalator” was called an escalator. Or where the word got its origins — to increase rapidly. As in stairs, moving bodies.
But escalation. The noun. We hear it a lot when it comes to fighting wars.
es·ca·la·tion | ˌeskəˈlāSH(ə)n |
noun
a rapid increase; a rise: cost escalations.
• an increase in the intensity or seriousness of something; an intensification: an escalation of violence.
Or we hear it when people have been oppressed, for ages, and their anger spills over, finally, into the streets. There has been an escalation of that, as of late. And it will continue for quite some time. This is centuries old, this fire. And we have a president who is pouring gasoline directly on the flames.
I don’t know how this injustice will ever turn around.
But white people are the ones who have to change. We have to teach our children well. But unfortunately, as long as racists are raising children, we will continue to have racists in our society.
As people, though, we have to directly stand up for black rights, in all our actions, all our conversations, all our biddings. And that should carry into all else. All equal rights. For black people, for people of diverse religions, of the LGBQ community, of women, of everyone.
Equal Rights have to escalate in this country.
Starting now.
============
These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.
— Abraham Lincoln
==============
Before God we are all equally wise – and equally foolish.
— Albert Einstein
==============
We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.
— Will Rogers
============
