Stephen Lapeyrouse is an independent American scholar and essayist. The essays collected in this book, published for the first time in Russian, are an attempt to comprehend the fundamental spiritual, historical and cultural problems facing the United States and Russia on the threshold of the third millennium. The author traces the history of the emergence of the “American Dream” and the “American Creed”, reflects on the lost cosmos of American culture, examines American history and civilization from the point of view of the “Eternal Philosophy”, explores the cultural phenomenon of the “American Smile”, compares American and Russian national characters, reminds of the need for serious study of world history and culture, calls for spiritual revival and getting rid of “spiritual sleep,” writes about the American reaction to the tragedy of September 11. The author's thoughts and conclusions are based on deep historical, philosophical and cultural studies, as well as on his personal life experience.