なかで after past tense verb The narrator says that he has a life flying around the world as a pilot, and then says: > **** _Living in this way_ , I have come to associate with many people who are supposedly capable people. I don't think I've got the first clause correct, because I think I could translate 'Living in this way,...' simply as ... My other guess is that it means "among the people who are living like this..." , but wouldn't that be **** ? It seems a bit far-fetched to omit . So, I don't know what is doing here and I've also failed to get the auxiliary verb into my translation.

I believe that the usage of here is perhaps similar to that of the following sentences.

> **** I am happier than I have ever been in my life.
>
> **** Thank you for coming today (even though you/you all are so busy).

As you can see, it can be used to denote not just a spatial center, but also a span of time or circumstances surrounding a person.

Jim Breen's JDIC also lists " **during; while** " as a definition of .

> (n) (1) inside; in; (2) among; within; (3) center (centre); middle; (4) during; while

Similarly,

> ****

Here, what the author means is "while in .. situation (of living this way).." or "while living this way.."

It may be difficult to comprehend at first, but it is not an uncommon pattern. You should be able to find plenty of other examples as well.