Here, another visual example of the concept in sports: the high jump.

The beginning of the record keeping, people were doing what seemed natural to jump as high as they couild - lifting their legs up and over the bar.
RHP was getting better and better and better at this.
Then someone on the LHP went
>hey, if i lean sideways and spin, I dont have to get my legs to go as vertical to clear the same bar
and the Western Roll was created. A new path.
And then more and more people started following that path, and what used to be new and LHP became the standard RHP method.
Then again, someone with the skill and desire to do more than just be the best on the standard path, figure out the Straddle method.
And then Dick Fosbury casually blew them all out of the water, and everyone switched over to the new paradigm.
Perhaps high jump will someday have another on the LHP who figure out an even better way.
But until then, everyone is stuck in the present path just trying to perfect it.

Spiritual paths are kind of similar, although I wouldnt say they have the same measuring method. It isnt that newer spiritual traditions are "jumping higher" than old ones. Just finding alternate ways for different people to reach the same summit.