Preservation can take different forms in different contexts. We preserve to value the essence of the "legacy", capturing its core "meaning".
In architecture, it symbolizes a connection to a past that still has relevance today. The Church serves as a reminder of the spiritual and cultural heritage passed down through generations, while also being adapted to meet contemporary needs and sensibilities. It puts history in today's context, allowing us to see the past from today's perspective. The meaning, the experience, and the message act as a bridge between history and ourselves, carrying those through time.
Consider science and art, for instance: people, as "pattern matchers", assign meaning to certain patterns we see in the outer world and preserve them in different forms. They become Science, they become Art.
Language is an interesting example: we inherit our language from our ancestors, as it constantly evolves. We also keep the wisdom in the form of proverbs, which we use to enhance our understanding or to simplify our lives.
In our meals also, we express our cooking in the form of recipes, allowing us to prepare dishes that have been made for centuries, sharing the same taste with our roots. At the same time, we don't hesitate to add our own "modern" flavor.
In our culture, it has the form of rituals. With rituals, we find some connection to our recurring habits and use them to enrich our lives.
In nature, it takes the form of seeds. I believe that's nature's method of preserving the "meaning". Seeds are spread and transformed into different plants with the help of the environment.
Ultimately, I consider preservation as an act of creating "meaning". Life has no inherent "meaning". We put the meaning in it in various means and carry it forward, sharing it with others. What makes life "meaningful" is all those collective "meanings" we cherish which I consider as the elixir of life.
When it comes to transformation, it is the inevitable act of augmenting the "meaning". We manipulate things through our interaction with the real world, and yet we preserve what we gain. It's almost like a cycle that extends the meaning of life while inheriting what is considered "worthy".
Preserving without change leads to irrelevance, turning something meant to live into a lifeless relic. Change without preserving, however, can erase the wisdom of the past, leaving us disconnected.
It feels like there's a Yin and Yang dynamic between the two. So the art would be finding the right balance.