In Jonathan Safran Foer's book, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," he presents a thought-provoking observation about the current population compared to those who lived and died throughout history. He highlights the significant growth of the living population, suggesting that there are now more individuals alive than the total number of people who have ever existed before. This dramatic contrast raises intriguing implications about the human experience.

Foer humorously notes that if everyone alive today wished to engage in a dramatic performance of Hamlet, they would face a logistical impossibility due to the limited number of skulls available for use as props. This quirky statement emphasizes the sheer number of people living presently, highlighting a unique perspective on how history and culture can become constrained by the realities of our current society.