Preservation is very important to me. Culture and history should all be preserved and treasured, as it makes us who we are. However, progress (in both scientific and social ways) is more important than preservation could ever be, Here's why.

Let's start with science. As a society, being able to thrive and continue to grow is more important than preserving social norms. For example, scientists may someday discover a way to make people live forever. This would be a huge advancement in the way of scientific progress but would hurt cultural preservation because of the importance of death in culture. That is an example of when society would have to determine which is more important: progress or preservation? My opinion lies in progress, because what is the point in the universe and society if not to progress towards growth?

Another example of progress versus preservation is in social situations. A good instance is gay marriage. We could've preserved our history and culture by keeping things the same. Instead, we decided to open up to new ideas and understand more about ourselves. We further ourselves as people by choosing to grow. We develop more as a community when we allow ourselves to put petty prejudice aside. People who cling to the past to justify stopping progress only slow us down.

This is not to say, however, that preservation is unimportant. Behind progress, it is one of the most important aspects of a society. We learn from our history and develop from our culture. Preservation can actually aid progress. Nonetheless, when the two butt heads, ultimately progress should always be the answer. Learning to understand each other and the universe is more important than sticking by how things have worked before. Humanity is about growth and exploration.