The dimensions of space and time defy the human imagination: they inevitably undermine traditional beliefs, while giving rise to the sort of substitute faiths that caused catastrophic wars in the 20th century and are now behind attempts to create a new, artificial world of entertainment, games, and virtual reality. This is a discussion of the changes in thinking and behaviour at the turn of the millennium. Czech writer Ivan Klima considers the main values in human society that must be preserved and tries to identify the people in today's world who are seeking to transform generally accepted consumer values into genuine values based on mutual human relations, moderation, and an understanding of the place of humans in nature.