To my knowledge, no class can hold State power over a long period without at the same time exercising its hegemony over and in the State Ideological Apparatuses. I only need one example and proof of this: Lenin’s anguished concern to revolutionize the educational Ideological State Apparatus… simply to make it possible for the Soviet proletariat, who had seized State power, to secure the future of the… proletariat and the transition to socialism.
Louis Althusser – Ideology and Ideological State Apparatus
The materialist doctrine that men [sic] are products of circumstances and upbringing, and that, therefore, changed men [sic] are products of changed circumstances and changed upbringing, forgets that it is men [sic] who change circumstances and that the educator must himself be educated….The coincidence of the changing of circumstances and of human activity or self-change [Selbstveränderung] can be conceived and rationally understood only as revolutionary practice.
Karl Marx – Theses on Feurerbac
A Call to Action for Transformative Change
Look at our world today—fractured, struggling, and teetering on the edge. The reality is stark: environmental, political, economic, and spiritual disasters loom on the horizon. It is no secret that it is broken and getting worse every day. If we are going to save ourselves from increasingly catastrophic environmental, political, economic, psychological, and spiritual outcomes we, scholars, politicians, capitalists, laypeople—everybody really—are going to have to sit down, figure things out, and change not only ourselves but the entire world as well. We are going to have to rethink, re-educate, and rapidly change. How do we do this? It is a lot of work, but it is not rocket science. There are three steps we must take. We must change our thinking (our paradigms), we must educate the planet, and we must take action and change the world. Let’s look at these three things briefly right now.
Step One: Paradigmatic Change
The foundation of change is shifting how we think about things. Why? Because thoughts shape reality. Everything from writing a song to building a house to shipping a commodity starts with a thought or two. Given the current state of the world and its rapidly deteriorating condition, we can confidently assert that our current thought structures are toxic and destructive. Therefore, to change the world we need new thoughts—fresh perspectives and paradigms on who we are, why we are here, and what our collective purpose is 1. We need these because our old thoughts and paradigms are destroying our health, our families, our well-being, and even this planet. Breaking free from outdated paradigms isn’t easy, of course; humans cling to familiar ideas even when they no longer serve. But this step is vital. Developing and embracing a new way of thinking is essential for moving ourselves and this planet forward.
Step Two: Global Education
Once we develop new perspectives, the second step is to educate not just ourselves, but the entire world 2. This will require a decentralized, inclusive educational platform (the Lightning Path) to counteract the ideological indoctrination perpetuated by capitalist systems. This platform would provide a curriculum focused on healing, connection, and the reversal of toxic socialization, a concept that critiques how capitalist systems mould individuals into compliant workers.3 Spreading new, transformative knowledge and paradigms that provide authentic shifts will be difficult due to inertia and resistance from those invested in the status quo, but it is not impossible. The tools are there, the talent is there, the will is there, the global infrastructure is there, the business acumen is there, and the labour-power is there. We have everything we need to accomplish rapid transformation. There are only two things missing, the paradigm-shifting curriculum needed to educate the population en masse, and the financial resources to get it all done. Given we complete some curriculum and collect sufficient resources, it could easily be accomplished in less than a decade. Millions of hands turned to the task of global education and billions turned to global transformation, would make the whole thing light work.
Step Three: Actual Change
Finally, once we have changed our thinking, then we must change our reality to align with our new ways of thinking. The point is not just to interpret the world, the point is to change it.4 New knowledge must (and will) lead to transformational change. Right now, actual change is impossible. There is simply too much disinformation, confusion, and resistance. However, humans are, when fully connected, powerful, creative beings. Once enough people are educated in new ways of thinking, once resistance has dissipated, once the resources are in place, once billions embrace their true purpose, actual change will come easily. We just have to get it started. This is where the Lightning Path comes in.
How Avatar Can Help
Avatar contributes to this transformative process in three powerful ways:
- A New Paradigm: Through the Lightning Path, Avatar’s educational and research arm, Avatar introduces a new paradigm, or rather, reintroduces and clarifies an old paradigm, an alternative way of looking at ourselves and our purpose on this world, which we’ll call the Triumph of Spirit Paradigm. The paradigm is complicated in all the social, political, economic, and spiritual details, but in essence it is fairly simple. It is briefly summarized here.
- An Educational Platform: Through the Lightning Path, Avatar’s research and educational arm, Avatar is developing and will eventually operate a globalized, decentralized, and comprehensive educational platform designed for rapid, inclusive learning on a global scale. Lightning Path content is structured to be concise, easily digestible, and translatable, supporting a variety of media formats. This approach ensures that learners, parents, and teachers of diverse backgrounds can engage with complex psychological, sociological., and spiritual topics effectively. The platform prioritizes inclusivity and is crafted to offer equal opportunities for all. You can view the LP platform, currently instantiated on Patreon, here.
- A Transformative Curriculum: In addition to providing an educational platform, Avatar, through the LP, will provide a transformative curriculum. This curriculum, still in development, serves as a guide that goes beyond the ideological nature of extant systems of education to catalyze deep personal healing and social transformation. Put in LP nomenclature, LP Curriculum integrates health, healing, and connection into a cohesive framework aimed at reversing the effects of Toxic Socialization and reconnecting individuals with their full Human Potential. Its transformative potential lies in its ability to empower parents, teachers, and learners to apply these insights in practical settings, fostering environments conducive to collective well-being and a more conscious society. You can view emerging LP curriculum here.
- A Solution to Nomenclature Confusion. Nomenclature Confusion occurs when different traditions, frameworks, educational, and spiritual/religious systems use varying or contradictory terms to describe similar concepts, creating unnecessary barriers to understanding and communication. Avatar addresses this issue through the SpiritWiki, a comprehensive and open-access knowledge base that provides clear, standardized definitions across psychological, sociological, and spiritual domains. The SpiritWiki eliminates confusion by offering consistent, interlinked terminology that makes complex ideas more accessible for everyone, regardless of background. This clarity supports better communication, collaboration, and collective action in our efforts to save the world.
- An open knowledge system. Avatar, through the Lightning Path, is committed to maintaining an open knowledge system. The SpiritWiki remains accessible and free for public use, while the broader curriculum is offered at low cost to ensure inclusivity. By providing open access to transformative knowledge and research, Avatar empowers individuals, parents, educators, and communities worldwide to engage with the tools needed for global change. The aim is to foster a culture of lifelong learning and shared understanding as we collectively navigate the path toward a more just and sustainable world.
- Pathfinder: An AI for Revolutionary Praxis. In alignment with the principles of transformative education and action, Avatar introduces PathfinderTM, a revolutionary AI designed to foster “revolutionary praxis,” as defined in Marx’s Theses on Feuerbach—the unity of theory and practice necessary for meaningful societal change. Pathfinder is more than an information assistant; it is an educational and motivational tool trained in the principles of the Lightning Path. Pathfinder helps individuals move beyond passive understanding to active engagement by:
- Providing Clarity: Pathfinder leverages the SpiritWiki and LP materials to cut through ideological distortions and deliver clear, actionable knowledge.
- Encouraging Praxis: Through personalized guidance, Pathfinder encourages users to apply theoretical insights in real-world contexts, fostering meaningful, grounded action.
- Supporting Global Collaboration: Pathfinder acts as a bridge for global community engagement, offering insights and support to individuals and groups working toward a more equitable, sustainable, and conscious world.
- An invitation to a global community. Saving the world is not a solitary task—it requires the collective efforts of millions. Avatar extends an open invitation to join a global community of individuals committed to positive transformation. This community serves as a space for collaboration, support, and collective action. Starting with the Avatar Discord server, participants can connect, share ideas, and work together to implement the principles of the Lightning Path. The vision is to cultivate a worldwide network of changemakers who are inspired, informed, and ready to make a difference. (Join the community here: Avatar Discord).
To summarize, to save the world we need to change our paradigms, educate globally, and then take concrete action to reverse the world’s escalating crises. Avatar offers a new paradigm and an educational platform to facilitate global change. The transformation will follow as paradigms shift, resistance diminishes, and we all get down to the difficult task of changing our lives, our workplaces, and this entire planet.
Endnotes
1 Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (New York: Continuum, 2005).
2 Antonia Gramsci, Antonio Gramsci: Prison Notebooks, ed. Lawrence D. Kritzman, vol. Volume One (New York: Columbia University Press, 1975).
3 Mike Sosteric, “Toxic Socialization,” 2025, doi:https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/suzyk_v1.
4 Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach. (Marxist Internet Library, 1845), https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/theses/.