What is the meaning of "live in" in the passage stated below? Thank you for your help :)
This is the passage from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (the beginning of Stave V):

YES! and the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own, the room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in! “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. “The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.

I can't understand the meaning of the phrase "I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future". It seems that Scrooge intends to atone for his Past by changing his attitude in the Present and Future. But why "live in the Past" is used?

I also look up "live in" in the Phrasal Verbs Dictionary to check out if there is another suitable meaning similar to "to atone, to redeem". But no, there is not.

Question

What is the meaning of "live in" in the passage stated below? Thank you for your help :)
This is the passage from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (the beginning of Stave V):

YES! and the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own, the room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in!  “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. “The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.

I can't understand the meaning of the phrase "I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future". It seems that Scrooge intends to atone for his Past by changing his attitude in the Present and Future. But why "live in the Past" is used?

I also look up "live in" in the Phrasal Verbs Dictionary to check out if there is another suitable meaning similar to "to atone, to redeem". But no, there is not.

Answer

Hm, I would say that this is not a phrasal verb. I think what Dickens is saying is that, psychologically speaking, Scrooge has been made conscious of the fact that his past deeds and his present actions will affect his future, for good or bad. Thus, he resolves to be aware of all three periods of time and how they interact, hence he will live 'in' all three at once. This is all in accordance with how the three Ghosts (of Christmas Past, Present, and Future) demonstrated to Scrooge how good deeds would enrich both his own life and the lives of those around him by showing him the negative repercussions of a miserly and misanthropic life. By living a good life from this point on, Scrooge hopes to avoid the fate that was shown to him by the spirits.

Hope that helps.

Answer

I think Scrooge (at this point in the story) has come to "acceptance" with the idea of time.

It's the truth; people often get caught up in past events. They hold onto pain from the past. But truly, we can ONLY live in the present moment.  :)  "Past" doesn't exist anymore, and "Future" doesn't exist yet. The only time we have is "now", the "present."

This is a tough passage to understand; however, from my perspective, I think scrooge has accepted his past (and his mistakes). They no longer prevent him from living the present moment with happiness. As well, he can look towards the future with peace of heart, knowing that all he needs to do - is live every moment to the best of his ability.

I hope that helps! Good luck ;)

Answer

When people live in the past, it means they are stuck in a moment and haven't moved on from it. It could be a positive or a negative period of their life, but we should never really live in the past, as the present is all we actually have. I can't answer specifically to this passage, but in sporting terms, some people believe Liverpool fans are living in the past, because they always talk about how they won lots of trophies in the 1980s.

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