Is Pleasure Distracting Us From Our Greater Purpose?
Written By: Brad Pedersen
As a Canadian, it’s nearly impossible to grow up without a love for hockey embedded in your DNA. Though I don’t follow the regular NHL season closely, I find that the playoffs always manage to pull me back in. There’s a certain energy that stirs when the stakes are high, when everything’s on the line.
But this year, something else caught my attention—and it was not on the ice.
A Shift in the Ads
In years past, hockey broadcasts were plastered with predictable ads for trucks and beer. This year, though? A new player has taken over the airwaves: online sports gambling.
Every commercial break seemed to push another betting app or promotion. Curious, I dug deeper. What I found was staggering.
Online sports gambling has surged in recent years. According to recent industry reports, the online gambling market is expected to surpass $150 billion globally by 2030. Millions now engage in digital wagering—not just during playoffs, but as a routine part of their daily entertainment.
The prevalence of these ads signals something deeper: they’re working. There’s a growing appetite—not just for gambling, but for distraction.
And that’s what got me thinking.
A Culture Addicted to Escape
We live in an age of infinite convenience. Streaming platforms deliver entertainment in seconds. Smartphones put the world in our palms. And now, with a few taps, you can place a wager on your favorite sports game from your couch.
It’s all so easy. So instant. And so… shallow.
This constant stream of digital dopamine is the natural outcome of a culture designed around instant gratification. We’ve become experts at convenience, but often at the cost of finding meaningful connection. We’ve built lives of comfort, yet drifted from the clarity of purpose. In our pursuit of more pleasure, many of us are quietly grappling with a growing sense of emptiness.
Pleasure vs. Purpose
Sigmund Freud once theorized that human behavior is largely driven by the pursuit of pleasure. At first glance, modern life seems to validate that hypothesis.
But Viktor Frankl offered a powerful counterpoint. As a Holocaust survivor, Frankl observed firsthand that those who found purpose—even in suffering—were more resilient and hopeful than those who had every comfort stripped away.
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl writes:
“Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.”
Decades before seeing the ever more abundant world we now live with smartphones and streaming platforms, he predicted the very vacuum we’re now experiencing: a society that has all the tools to thrive, yet still feels listless and empty inside.
Pleasure, in itself, isn’t the problem. We’re wired to enjoy it—and when it flows naturally from a meaningful life, it can be a beautiful thing. But when pleasure becomes the goal rather than a byproduct of living a full and vital life, it can quietly take over, fueling an insatiable hunger that only quickens our pace of consumption.
The pursuit of pleasure may offer a brief escape, but only in the pursuit of meaning can we find lasting strength. One distracts us; the other sustains us.
Why We’re Drifting
In a previous edition of this newsletter, we introduced the concept of drift—that subtle yet dangerous misalignment between how we’re living and who we’re becoming.
Drift often begins when we start to believe the lie that our worth is defined by what we have or what we do. It’s a mindset shaped by external validation—where the opinions of others dictate where we place our energy and attention.
When our motivation is extrinsic rather than intrinsic, we move from living with intention to performing for approval. Instead of pursuing growth and authenticity, we chase applause. And in doing so, we veer off course from the true north of our lives.
Drift also shows up when “the good life” becomes a checklist. When the days are full but the soul is empty. When we choose convenience over contemplation and distraction over direction.
In today’s digital world, drift has never been more accessible. Scroll here. Stream there. Shop now. Bet with one click. It’s never been easier to stay entertained—while avoiding the deeper questions.
But here’s the truth: what goes unexamined, will persist and go unchanged.
As Karl Jung so incitefully stated: “Until the unconscious becomes conscious we will be controlled by it and call it fate.” It’s only through honest reflection that we gain the awareness needed to make better choices for our future.
Reflection is rarely comfortable—which is exactly why so many of us avoid it. But if we’re committed to genuine growth, it requires more than just looking back; it demands that we look within. That means confronting our motivations, challenging stubborn habits, and re-evaluating outdated beliefs. Instead, we often choose distraction—because comfort is easier than clarity.
The rise of online gambling is just one example—an easy escape that offers a quick fix for deeper unrest. Yet while avoidance may offer momentary relief, only meaningful reflection holds the power to renew and realign our lives.
The Invitation to Go Deeper
Frankl’s framework, known as logotherapy, proposed that meaning—not pleasure—is the primary human drive. And meaning, he argued, is accessible to all of us, through three key pathways:
- Creating Work or Doing Deeds
When we contribute to something beyond ourselves—whether through creativity, leadership, or craftsmanship—we tap into a deeper sense of purpose.
- Experiencing Something or Encountering Someone
Relationships, love, beauty, nature—these moments elevate the soul. They don’t just entertain us; they enrich us through deeper connections.
- Choosing Our Attitude Toward Suffering
Even in hardship, we can choose hope. We can find purpose in our pain. This is basis of how we develop a deeper character through forging perseverance.
What Are You Betting On?
Let’s be clear—this isn’t a critique of online gambling itself. Gambling has been part of our culture since the beginning of time and of course technology has made it just that much more accessible.
Although I don’t personally feel drawn to it, I’m genuinely curious about why that seems to make me the exception—especially considering how often I see the ads. It makes me wonder if its current popularity is amplified by the collective anxiety and uncertainty so many are experiencing. It appears to offer an easy way to disconnect, to numb. But beneath that, I can’t help but sense a deeper cultural hunger—one that many are trying to satisfy with quick dopamine hits and effortless escapes.
So if you find yourself reaching for your phone to click on that next distraction, I invite you to pause and ask: In the quiet moments between the noise… what is it you’re really searching for?
As Frankl so eloquently put it, “Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how.”
So perhaps the better wager isn’t on tonight’s score—but rather on pursuing a life that trades superficial satisfaction for creating more significance. A life that provides true fulfillment and a deep, lasting sense of meaning.
A life not just lived, but lived to the full.
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