H'm. Yeah, I'd be inclined to agree that if you can derive some meaning from a dream or message, then it doesn't matter whether or not it was "targeted" at you. The important thing is the understanding or perspective you may have derived from it.
As an example, take a love poem written by a poet for their lover; it can speak intimately to a person who has been in a similar position or is capable of entering into the relevant "mood", regardless of the fact that it was not, in fact, "for them". Some very beautiful romantic poetry was written by a Greek named Kavafi, who was gay. T.S. Eliot's "Waste Land" is far more political than I like my poetry, and is written from within a set of values I do not share. These examples may thus not be directed at me, but it hardly means that I cannot derive something from them.
It must be obvious that I'm coming at this from a very anti-intentionalist point of view, and not just in terms of literature; I honestly do believe that if something is meaningful to a person, then the meaning is valid regardless of the purpose of the message.
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As an example, take a love poem written by a poet for their lover; it can speak intimately to a person who has been in a similar position or is capable of entering into the relevant "mood", regardless of the fact that it was not, in fact, "for them". Some very beautiful romantic poetry was written by a Greek named Kavafi, who was gay. T.S. Eliot's "Waste Land" is far more political than I like my poetry, and is written from within a set of values I do not share. These examples may thus not be directed at me, but it hardly means that I cannot derive something from them.
It must be obvious that I'm coming at this from a very anti-intentionalist point of view, and not just in terms of literature; I honestly do believe that if something is meaningful to a person, then the meaning is valid regardless of the purpose of the message.