The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh. Let us not then speak ill of our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors. Let us not speak well of it either. Let us not speak of it at all. {It is true the population has increased.
The quote suggests that the emotional experiences of humanity, such as sorrow and joy, are consistent over time. When one person cries, another stops, creating a balance in the world's emotional state. This implies that despite the changes in population and circumstances, feelings of unhappiness and happiness are cyclical and shared across generations.
The author, Samuel Beckett, encourages a measured perspective on our current generation. While it may be easy to criticize or praise it, the reality is that it is neither markedly happier nor sadder than those that came before. Therefore, rather than dwell on the current state of society, it might be more insightful to accept the ongoing human condition as a constant flow of emotions.
