What's it mean that we don't inherit the world from our ancestors, but that we borrow it from our children?

Answer 1

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you can take it literally, if you look at your country's national debt. All your compatriots alive today will not be able to pay it off

Or you can take it metaphorically: the way things are going, there won't be a livable planet a hundred years from now

Answer 2

You've got all of this backwards.  We do inherit the world from our ancestors...........because without them - we would NOT be here.  Our children have NOTHING to give us.

Answer 3

Your children are going to live in the world after you leave. if you leve it a mess, they will have a harder time than if you leave it in tip-top shape.

Answer 4

It means nothing at all in genealogy......... genealogy is about researching our ancestors,

Answer 5

That's not a question about Genealogy.  It's more about philosophy or language.

It just means that we, as humans, don't have a moral right to just take whatever we want from the earth and destroy the rainforests, the jungles, the wildlife and the whole environment with no thought or care as to what effect it's going to have on our descendants.