> but "now" is the collection of events that currently affect us.

Just to see if I understand what you’re saying…

So a hypothetical photon from the big bang (era?) gets observed now means the big bang is happening now?

A dinosaur decays to bones and now gets observed means the dinosaur died just now - not that it died millions of years ago?

(Dinosaur = photon from a star or something. Decay = red shift. Or a real dinosaur— guess it’s the same now.)