Aside from religion and business, topics that really excite me are the principles that govern our behavior and ethics. We often know what is morally right, but in business, for example, we tend to think of profit before fair play. The gap between theory and practice widens if it benefits us, and we can easily get away with it. We can see this gap in many aspects of society, and we will all benefit greatly if we can minimize it.
When I graduated from college, I already had an exact blueprint of how I should build my life, thinking I was already fully equipped with all the theories in the world that I had learned from school. However, I was in for a shock because the real world has twists and turns that we can never learn from reading books.
Theories are general rules that are complex to put into practice, especially when things get chaotic or messy. So we need the act or judgment (the application) to try what we have learned, making sure it works. For me, theories are critical, but they will only be credible if supplemented by practice, because even if you know a lot of theory, you will still feel helpless when tested.
We have learned so well that we should not do something bad when faced with complicated circumstances, but we tend to lie and save ourselves. Rules are no longer working in practice. Survival instincts take control, and what we learned over the years becomes “not so applicable,” as one of my former classmates sadly puts it.
We have been taught to love our neighbors as ourselves. In the practical world, it would be tough when these neighbors become inconsiderate and noisy, gossip about you, or steal from you. If we don’t like it and get angry, the gap becomes obvious, and it can get nasty if we don’t have practical training in conflict solving. And here is my point: we need to learn how to practice the theory of “loving your neighbor as yourself” by practical training. And this goes for all theories guiding us.
A while ago, I tried to ask an expert mechanic about the laws of valuable science for his work. He just laughed at me. He said he knows through instincts and experience, and has never had a proper education. He learned it by trying and failing and is now a master in his field.
Our school system is very theory-based, and it might be wise to open up for more practical training simply because it will be easier to put theory into practice. We can bridge the gap by taking it more seriously.
Theory and practice should go hand in hand, and our Department of Education has a big challenge here. So does the Church. Ethics can also contribute a lot when practiced more. If we can narrow the gap between theory and practice in all aspects of our society, we will become a stronger nation.
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