The Quran says early generations will be near to God, how can we make it into that few?

Assalamualaikum, Allah swt says in the Quran on the day of Judgement those who will be near to the Lord will be Many from the Early Generations, and a few from the later generations. I feel disheartened seeing this because I feel how can I be as great as they were, how can I possibly make it into that few…..

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

The Quran is speaking of proportions, not absolute numbers. If 10% of the early humans made it to the highest ranks, that may be 1% today, but that is still millions of people in every generation.