There are many ways to make the most of your time on the planet

When Mariella Frostrup declared, “There are many ways to make the most of your time on the planet, and propagation of the species is just one of them. If you’re convinced that it’s the key to your happiness, there are routes open to you, whether with the help of modern medical science, marrying into a readymade one, or through fostering and adoption,” she was speaking against the narrow vision of life’s purpose. Her words strike like a bell across the generations: that the worth of a human being is not measured solely by whether they produce children of their own flesh, but by how they live, love, and leave their mark upon the earth.

The meaning of this insight is as vast as it is liberating. For too long, society has shackled people—especially women—to the idea that their value lies only in propagation, in bringing forth heirs to continue the bloodline. Frostrup reminds us that existence itself is greater than this single path. There are many roads to fulfillment, many ways to spend one’s time upon this fragile planet, and each soul must find the one that resonates with their spirit. Parenthood is noble, but it is not the sole measure of nobility.

History gives us examples of those who found greatness beyond the cradle. Leonardo da Vinci, who fathered no children, poured his genius into art, invention, and discovery, leaving a legacy richer than dynasties. Florence Nightingale, who never married nor bore children, devoted her life to the healing of others, and in so doing became a mother to the wounded and the sick. Their lives testify to Frostrup’s claim: the propagation of wisdom, beauty, and compassion is as vital as the propagation of the species itself.

Yet Frostrup does not dismiss the desire for children, for she acknowledges it as a powerful longing of the heart. What she proclaims instead is that pathways to this longing are many. Through medical science, barriers that once seemed insurmountable can now be crossed. Through marriage, one may join a family already alive with laughter. Through fostering and adoption, one may open their heart to those who wait in silence for love. Thus she honors the diversity of routes, declaring that destiny is not fixed but rich in possibility.

This teaching is heroic because it demands courage: courage to reject the pressure of conformity, courage to choose one’s own measure of happiness, courage to embrace new forms of family and fulfillment. To live as Frostrup counsels is to walk boldly, unafraid of judgment, secure in the knowledge that a life of purpose is not bound to a single script. The true measure of life is not the number of children at one’s side, but the depth of love given, the wisdom shared, and the joy created during one’s brief time beneath the sun.

The lesson, then, is clear: your life is your own, and the meaning you carve from it is sacred. Do not let the voices of others dictate that there is only one way to live fully. Honor those who choose children, but also honor those who choose art, service, knowledge, or the embrace of strangers’ children as their own. All these are paths of creation, all these are routes to legacy.

Practical actions arise from this wisdom. Ask yourself not what the world demands of you, but what your heart demands of itself. If you seek family, pursue it with courage, whether by birth, adoption, or love freely given. If you seek another calling, follow it with devotion, knowing it is no less sacred. And in every case, spend your time with awareness, for it is the one resource that cannot be replenished.

Thus Frostrup’s words ring like a clarion call to the future: life is not a single destiny but a tapestry of choices. Whether through propagation of the species, through the healing arts of science, or through the giving heart of fostering and adoption, each person may fashion meaning in their own way. Let none be shamed for the path they choose, but let all be judged by the love they gave, the lives they touched, and the legacy they leave when their time on this planet is done.