VOX Delft: A Manifesto

In light of our upcoming launch, I’d like to briefly touch base with all you, retrace some steps and explore why VOX Delft came to be – and, more importantly, why it has manifested the way it did. Consider this a raison d’être; a statement of intent.

If there are any doubts left in your mind as to what VOX Delft attempts to embody, read on.

Turn on your television, roam the internet, read a newspaper or listen to what people around you talk about. Everywhere you will find the same message being spread, namely that our continued existence on this celestial rock has become more than a little endangered as a result of some of our more harmful practices. The public eye is strongly trained on all these problems that ostensibly inhibit our future survival. We’re going though an economic crisis, an energy crisis, an ecological crisis, perhaps even a spiritual crisis.

It’s all so much that the intensity might be enough to strike genuine fear into our hearts. Can we even overcome this? Is there a point of no return and have we perhaps already passed it? Hannibal ante portas, anarchy on our doorstep?

Yes, these problems could appear insurmountable. That is, if we try to deal with them in the same, old, broken ways. Come to think of it, our current strategy is perhaps what got us in trouble in the first place!

The cosmic poetry of the fact is this: the ‘thing’ that brought us public awareness of these crises’ nature, is the same ‘thing’ that is spreading awareness of their solution. Today’s level and nature of international communication is unprecedented, giving the first generation to grow up with it a unique perspective on the world. Young people today see the world as a whole, as a complete system that isn’t restricted to nations or economic/political organizations – they see this more clearly than most who came before them. Because of this, they realize that global issues call for global solutions. They understand that the only way to get rid of an old problem is to introduce new systems.

What kind of solutions – which systems, you ask? We’re dealing real paradigm-changers here. We’re talking about eliminating artificial scarcity; replacing our monetary system; introducing clean, free and abundant energy for everyone; enabling open-source design without proprietary laws that only serve to establish monopolies and hinder change. These and other developments can pave the way for an empathic and compassionate worldwide society, free of poverty, scarcity, and war.

Some might call this ambitious, and they would be right. However, the developments described above are already well on their way. As we speak, young people all over the globe gather in various movements, catapulted by the digital age. A revolution is truly upon us.

Finally, then, what does this mean for young technology students? And why VOX Delft? What can we do?

We want to encourage and challenge students to inspire each other, to stand up. To look beyond and see that in fact, there is no energy crisis. Our economy can be replaced instead of fixed. True sustainability and harmony with nature is quite possible, if we redesign our society.

We believe that this generation of technology students is ahead of what their university – their society – asks of them. We believe that the world is on the brink of a new paradigm, and students are rapidly waking up, sharing and discussing integrated solutions with each other. Most importantly, we believe students with this ideal need to find each other and form a community. VOX Delft is but a manifestation, a platform for these students to get acquainted, to share ideas and create real change. Our program of lectures, (informal) gatherings, events and digital interfacing actively contributes to this goal.

Welcome to the conscience shift. Welcome to VOX Delft.