The Dangerous Word "About"

"About" is a dangerous word in Christian Spirituality. Students of Spiritual Formation run the risk of learning "about" prayer, "about" fasting, "about" the great spiritual writers of the past, and "about" Bible reading. It is possible to become an expert in the field while having no experience in it. We know about prayer, but we do not pray. We know God answers prayer, but there is nothing of the miraculous in our lives. We know the reasons for fasting and the results, but, we've never fasted ourselves. We know about God, but we do not know Him.
Such training without experience is dangerous because it gives a student confidence with no attending power. He or she becomes a target for interior collapse. Training for spiritual formation is more like playing the piano that learning an academic discipline. Both teacher and student need years of regular practice to become proficient. Classes on the history of the piano won't help you play it.