Paradigms

Is it possible for there to be a different paradigm towards thinking about what needs to be achieved in life? Is it possible that young people can have a shift in thinking about what is important? Or is it too much to expect the conditioning of childhood to be overcome? Does it have to so that the our societies will continue to gauge success by the trappings of materialism and not by spiritual development. Material comfort as a means to a spiritual end and not just an end in itself; is that not how it was meant to be? But isn't the human mind is too susceptible to getting trapped? What is the role of institutionalized western religions in this universal delusion? Is it possible for there to be a paradigm shift to what a "developed" society does with its time and deems important? Or do the more introspective eastern societies have to inevitably fall into the same trap despite their collective spiritualized attitudes to life. Is modernization the only way to evolve? Or is it just one of a few different paths today's humans can/could have taken.
I believe in the latter. Is it possible to bring about this change is another thing all together.