The Quest for Enlightenment

Literature is full of stories about heroes on quests for enlightenment. Essentially, that's what the Beat movement, the subject of the novel Go, was all about. The Beat Generation, which arose in America in the 1950s, was a philosophy that "beatitude," or boundless joy, could be found only through a constant, restless quest for the elusive heart of experience. The idea was that pure joy and love are the essence of whatever we do or whomever we encounter, but those qualities aren't easy to perceive. They often are shrouded by disappointments, lies, violence, and other obstacles created by the greedy, non-spiritual side of human nature. To reach the beatitude at the heart of experience requires energy, persistence, and open-mindedness.

Those who achieve this goal are considered by the Beats to be "cool." This signifies an ability to go past longing, anxiety, ambition, and other emotions...