It has been said that tradition is the voice or the vote of the dead. And, one might add, it is of the greatest arrogance to believe that your opinion is most important just because you happen to be living at that moment.
The Christian faith speaks of the "great cloud of witnesses that surround us". That we stand on the shoulders of the martyrs. That we are part of a past, present and future Universal Church that is not bound to space-time.
When we observe and honor tradition we are willing to admit that the opinions of our time are not the only opinions and that our opinions may not be the best opinions on the matter (gasp!).
It might be one of the reasons why one of the most common verbs in the Bible is "remember". Remember the voices the people of the past. Remember that your time is not the only time. Remember that there were sinners and saints before you and me and they were just as important to the conversation as anyone.
Remember the voice of the dead, know your voice will soon join their ranks.