Currently reading countless scholarly articles, peer-reviewed journals, and books. Many of them discuss the nuances between theory and practice.
My thinking: the distinction between theory and practice is a wonderfully descriptive metaphor for life.
"Measure twice—cut once" works in theory, but...
...in theory, everything works. In practice, things fall apart. And, then it becomes a cycle. Practice sometimes fails. When it does, we theorize.
Measure three times.
Cut twice.
Return to Home Depot.
We ask questions to understand outcomes and clarify. Sometimes, those questions are framed in the simplest terms.
Standing in the lumber aisle at Home Depot, with the question "What went wrong?" begging for an answer. Eventually, if we ask enough questions, or the right questions, we arrive an new theories...that are put back into practice.