I think the crisis of meaning is happening because existing philosophies do not provide enough value anymore in today's world. I believe a non-reductionist and non-dualistic worldview can be the solution. We must see that the world is not a "war of all men against all men" as Hobbes describes in the Leviathan, and realize we are all interdependent beings that exist as expressions of relationships, which we form together.
But it is in our very DNA to war for status and prestige. Every animal does it, there's a pecking order for every species. No brain surgeon will happily get stuck taking out the trash because a philosopher says we all need to get along and stop striving for position.
Philosophy should be telling us that hierarchies are natural and playing the game is healthy, as even if you're on the low end there's still plenty of game to "win".
Competition for resources is only one human behavior. In nature, it is carefully balanced not to disrupt the stability of the well functioning community that all primates must have at all times to survive.
Being social animals, another more critical instinct is the need to cooperate. Indeed, eliminating cooperation from a human group will extinguish it faster than eliminating competition (assuming it's even possible). And when people have a choice in the matter, pecking order is based on amount of support the higher up people provide to the group, not the leaders ability to serve himself: people do not knowingly and freely back someone who has no interest in backing them.
Also instinctive is the sense of fairness[1] Of course those with an abundance of resources might want to convince others that this instinct is unnatural or somehow harmful. But it is clearly a well established instinct over a wide range of mammals and exists for a reason.
And while the meaning of life varies greatly from person to person, I suspect that a life lived solely to maximize one's own resources will be as comfortable as it feels meaningless. I image evolution has made it that way. At least so people will have children but also to work fairly with others. Otherwise we would have wandered completely alone in the jungles and been eaten out of existence by Pliocene tigers.
I don't think it is universal or unavoidable to have to play games to establish yourself in a pecking order. In many situations it seems like we work together with our fellow humans towards some common goal, or just enjoy each other's company. This is just one middle-aged mid-status dude's perspective, though, seems your perspective is in conflict with mine.
Hierarchies don't have to be vicious. A group of friends will develop the funny guy, the guy who leads the discussions, someone who figures out where to meet up next.
The biggest question philosophy should be answering is how can we ensure that everyone wins after we've self-sorted into our natural hierarchies.
It is in our blood to war for resources, but it is also in our blood to share, cooperate, commiserate, empathize, and have compassion. I posit that greed and avarice are (once effective) survival tactics that have been obsoleted by us becoming social animals. It may be hard to imagine it now, but once more people start considering the idea that the notion of self and individual could be a cognitive illusion, that the world is not made up of individuals destined to war each other for more, we may see the end of the current crisis.
