The whole magic of our prefrontal cortex is that it enables us to project multiple future possibilities and then consider what outcomes are most promising. That is what separates us from all or most other species.

People who have damaged prefrontal cortexes, and I know someone who has, do in a sense live in the present like a Buddha. The problem though is that they have difficulty with impulse control, can't manage money, can't hold a job or relationship and for struggle to live an independent and happy life as we humans would define that.

The fact that some religious philosophies focus on this point is interesting. Because they are right that it is uniquely human at least as far as we know, but also it is exactly what defines our humanity. Just that it can also cause suffering. When a zebra is chased by a lion, its sympathetic nervous system kicks in, the thing we call stress, to help it survive. It's digestive system stops, its blood pressure and heart beat increase, all so that it can run faster. But in 10 minutes it is either dead or it has survived and then its nervous system goes back to normal. 

With humans, that same sympathetic nervous system can kick in for things that haven't even occurred because we are projecting into the future. So our amazing brain can also cause us unnecessary stress and even physical problems like high blood pressure and stomach problems. Even sickness because our immune system shuts down.

But of course we can't demonise our brains. They are doing what they should. We just need to learn to cope better. It is a blessing and a curse though. The zebra will not project that if it goes in a certain area of a savanna it will probably get chased by lions, but at the same time it doesn't really worry about it either. So it lives a low stress life but makes for a quicker dinner.

Just thought that would be interesting to post here. The person I know who has this problem is very close to me but I don't want to go into detail about it obviously.