I asked a question.
My question was: how can I understand what people mean (when the meaning isn't literal). It was put on hold for being too broad.
One idea I have to make my question not broad is to ask is for help in the example I gave. However I was told by an answerer "We're not here to analyze situations for you." So that's a no.
Therefore, here's what I understand:
Me in a specific situation is too specific.
Me in all situations in too broad.
I'm stuck on how to make my question a fit; what I can do to make my question a fit for this site?
Edit
How can I determine what people mean and not what they say?
I know how to understand what people say (I think). The problem is understanding their meaning when it disagrees with what they say.
They'll say something. Their words will be clear. I will accept that meaning. Later, they'll contradict their earlier words. If it was written I'll read it several times. I'll agree with my original interpretation. I'll conclude they didn't mean what they say. I know this happens sometimes:
The other day I was talking to someone. He said something. He corrected himself. He said he didn't use the right word. He said that multiple times in the conversation. Therefore he was having trouble saying what he meant. I've seen others have trouble. Even I have trouble sometimes.
So I think the meaning differs from what is said (rather than me misunderstanding what is said).
How can I get better at understanding what people mean and not what they say?
(I assume there might be some indirect way I can infer actual meaning. For example if someone says something out of character for them, or that is unusual for someone to say - maybe I should try to clarify rather than just accepting the words.)