Time right now makes sense only in relation to past and future. There cannot be a 'now' which you count as the only true time without a memory of the past and anticipation or hope for the future. How the 'now' is lived is determined by past stories and the thought for tomorrow.

It is in the nature of man to reflect on the past and think of the future because he knows of death. For this reason, he consciously reflect on the past so as not to repeat mistake of the past and with the future in view, he makes good decisions and choices.

Someone had posited that if history is not known, one is bound to repeat them.

Past stories and future are what gives now a meaning. They are therefore not a distraction but a ladder or means of knowing the now.