When a statement or instruction is clear and I question it, it’s not because I do not or will not understand it unless I ask. It’s because I don’t like it, as it stands. There are lots of reasons for this, and my purpose can be manifold:
- I don’t want to think anything through for myself.
- I don’t want to take active responsibility for my understanding.
- I don’t agree with the premise or the point.
- I want to force the other person to ‘show their hand’ so I can attack, undermine, or discount it.
- I don’t want to co-sign the point or instruction by simply accepting it.
- I don’t want to follow the instruction.
- I want to play dumb to signal my disapproval.
- I want to emphasise that I’m cooperating only under duress.
- I want to make a meal of the exchange to emphasise how onerous the task is.
- I want to cast the other person as pedantic by reframing their contribution as more complex than it is.
- I want to cast the other person as overbearing by eliciting repetition and reinforcement in the face of resistance.
- I want to hold the point or the instruction at arm’s length for as long as possible.
- I want to punish the other person for making the point or issuing the instruction.
- I want to give the other person work, because they have given me work.
- I want to delay my own compliance or performance.
- I want to suggest that the other person is muddled, inarticulate, or incoherent.
- I refuse to accept the point or instruction unless it’s conveyed in a way I approve of.
- I want to be the gatekeeper of any incoming information or instructions.
I now tend to just say 'thank you'. And anything that's unclear always becomes clear on its own.