When Meaning Becomes Meaningless: Insights from Maslow and Daoism

Abstract

Modern societies face an increasingly pervasive existential challenge: individuals struggle not only to discover but also to sustain meaning in life. Even when meaning is found, it may collapse when the world ceases to make sense, life loses its value, and purpose no longer provides fulfillment. Yet existing research has largely focused on meaning discovery, leaving the question of how meaning is sustained underexplored. This theoretical article addresses this gap by proposing two complementary pathways to prevent meaning collapse. The motivational pathway, grounded in Maslow’s theory of self-actualization and self-transcendence, sustains meaning through the fulfillment of deficiency needs and the cultivation of B-cognition (Being-cognition), B-love (Being-love), and B-motivation (Being-motivation). The metacognitive pathway, rooted in Daoist philosophy, mitigates meaning fragility by dissolving psychological distortions through wu (nothingness) and reorienting life toward Dao (ultimate reality). Together, these pathways foster realistic comprehension, unconditional significance, and transcendent purpose, thereby supporting a more enduring sense of meaning. By articulating this dual-path model of sustainable meaning, this article extends existing theories of meaning in life and provides a foundation for future empirical research.