Certainly, what Westerners call progress might ironically be counterproductive and self-destructive.

But the progressive goal isn't opposed to the idea of figuring out the nature of reality. That's what science is for, which flourished precisely in progressive Europe. The point of this progress, of course, is to correct the reality of nature, to improve on the wilderness. If nature works in cycles, we might prefer linear history. Our societies therefore clash with nature. That might lead to our downfall unless we're ingenious enough in setting up our technological workarounds.

The problem with submitting to natural cycles, even with debt-forgiveness and the like is that those societies implicitly concede the rightness of natural forms of inhumanity, such as monarchy, slavery, and patriarchy. If we ought to surrender to the tyranny of natural cycles in some respects, why not in all of them? If we should be defeatist in surrendering the goal of approximating some social ideals, why not just live like animals, expressing our instincts with abandon? What would human reason, imagination, and autonomy be for in that case?