Voice of Reason: On Violence

The Bank of America has been a frequent target for the attacks of radical dissenters. In a San Francisco speech last week, Chairman Louis Lundborg, 64, entered an eloquent plea for understanding. Excerpts:

WE all lose by violence, whether we be young, old, liberal, conservative, hippie or square. As a nation, we are wounded by such acts, whenever they occur; and as individuals, we lose one of the foundation stones of all our freedom to live our lives. Sometimes I could weep for the young who have condoned violence in the name of liberal goals, because I know that they will be the first casualties if the violent trend were to continue to its ultimate end. The natural sequel to left-wing radical rebellion is right-wing reaction and repression.

There is a new value system emerging in this country. For generations we have been mouthing the cliche, "You can't stand in the way of progress." Now there is a new generation that is saying, "The hell you can't." That generation--and an increasing number of its elders--are saying, "Prove to us that it really is progress." In a sense, that is the essence of everything that is stirring and boiling and seething: thoughtful people in increasing numbers are asking about one thing after another, "Is it really progress--progress for the human condition?"

What they say they want doesn't sound so different, you know, from what our founding fathers said they wanted. They said they wanted the freedom to be their own men, the freedom for self-realization. We have lost sight of that a bit in this century --but the young people are prodding us and saying, "Look, Dad--this is what it's all about."

We have two choices as to which way we can go. We can divide into camps and shoot it out, or we can try to find common grounds so that we can grow together again. One course is easy but is blind; the other course is hard and slow, but is the path of wisdom. One course leaves all the thinking to someone else; the other requires deep, painful thought in a never-ending search for answers. One course will bring bloodshed, destruction and ultimate crushing of freedom--the crushing of the human spirit; the other course can bring peace and with it a hope for the rekindling of the American Dream.

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