Linux does not have lost its way. It has truly followed its way, and that's what you got. It was always clear (at least for me and many other people), that if you don't design a system but put it together step by step, you will end up with a mess.
I have always been on the NetBSD side, and it's bright over here. Even FreeBSD suffers from similar problems as Linux, trying to get new features fast. That's just how software development works (or does not), you have to follow proper design to get something for the future.
Linux will always be stuck in past design decisions, and in order to stay compatible, things will need be become more and more complex, until they break.
The whole point of systemd was/is to design a coherent system that integrates all the core parts. It's also what caused all the problems for OP, unlike the "step by step" approach that was working fine for him.
I have always been on the NetBSD side, and it's bright over here. Even FreeBSD suffers from similar problems as Linux, trying to get new features fast. That's just how software development works (or does not), you have to follow proper design to get something for the future.
Linux will always be stuck in past design decisions, and in order to stay compatible, things will need be become more and more complex, until they break.