"Preserving at all costs" is a good choice for some "creative" work but not all.
Is a perfectly reasonable attitude. However, Photos is designed for people who feel differently from you, and that is their perfectly reasonable attitude. Further, given that most photography is Jpeg, it's a defence against generational degradation.
Describing what I am doing as "destructive" is making a value judgement as though I am doing something bad
No need to be defensive. This is a descriptive technical term not a moral judgement. It means that when you edit some of the data is destroyed - hence destructive. Non-destructive processing means that the editor can always revert to the status quo ante. Again, not a moral judgement, but a technical term.
There is nothing wrong with how you choose to manage and edit your images. My only point is that you would have a better experience - and less work - working with apps that work the way you prefer, rather than ones designed to work the opposite way. Using the appropriate app means you'll have a better experience. Yes you can write a novel in MS Excel, but you'll have a better experience using Word, no?
Apple did not have a picture hosting service between 2000 and 2007.