This is my vote in the elections, thinking about Longevity

It's official: general elections will be held on November 29.

And it's no coincidence. They come days after Congress struck down the housing decrees that stemmed from Maricarmen's eviction. A case that, as I told you about in , occupied a good part of the attention of those who govern us for weeks.

Now all that attention is going to shift to something else: the campaign. For almost two months, the priority of every party will be winning votes. Not your health. Not your parents'.

And with the campaign, the usual ritual returns. Promises. Hope. Factions. And, a few years later, frustration.

Today I propose something different: looking at the elections through the eyes of someone who wants to live a long life, and live it well. No hooligans. No fanatics. Just data.

The principle that will save you trouble

Low expectations. Maximum personal effort.

It's not pessimism. It's distinguishing between what depends on you and what doesn't. What Congress votes on doesn't depend on you. What you train tomorrow does.

When you place your expectations on what you cannot control, you get frustrated. When you focus your effort on what you can control, you make progress. Whoever wins.

What I learned in the desert

A few years ago, I was at Burning Man. I told you about it here.

One of its ten principles changed how I see many things: Radical Self-Reliance.

The idea is simple. In the middle of the desert, there are no stores, no services, and no one coming to solve your problems for you. You bring your own water, food, shade, and your plan for survival. If you don't do it, no one will do it for you.

And the curious thing is that, precisely because everyone is self-reliant, the most generous community I have ever seen is generated.

Because there is another principle that goes hand in hand: Gifting. The art of giving without expecting anything in return.

Nothing is sold at Burning Man. There is no money. People give away food, water, music, art, or shade in the middle of the afternoon. And they don't do it to get something back, not even a thank you. They do it because they can.

That is the key: only those who are not in need can give. If you are short on water, you cannot give it away. If you arrive in the desert unprepared, you aren't a donor: you are a burden to others.

Self-reliance and generosity are not opposites. The former is the condition for the latter.

And this is where an idea I wrote about some time ago comes in: effective altruism. It consists of asking yourself not only if you are helping, but where your help does the most good.

Because not all aid is created equal. There are organizations that are 100 to 1,000 times more efficient than others at solving similar problems. According to GiveWell, the most effective interventions in the world (bed nets, malaria prevention, or incentives for childhood vaccinations) save a life for between $5,000 and $10,000. In wealthy countries, hundreds of times more is spent per life.

Effective altruism seeks causes that meet three conditions:

• Great: they affect many people.
• Solvable: it is known how to fix them.
• Neglected: every extra euro makes a real difference.

That third condition is the most uncomfortable. Neglected causes are exactly the ones that make no noise. Uganda hosts more than one and a half million refugees and it barely makes the news. Other crises, with cameras in front of them, receive all the attention. It's the same thing that happens with Maricarmen: the one who is seen the most gets the resources, even if it's not where the most good is done.

And we must also watch out for the egoism of altruism. Sometimes we help in the way that makes us feel best, not the way that works best. There was a project in Africa that pumped water using playgrounds for children. It had a beautiful image and raised a lot of money. But it was barely used. A professional who donates what they earn in a day usually does more good than traveling to do volunteer work for a week.

The key question is this: do we want to save lives or feel good about ourselves?

A practical detail: in Spain, the first 250 euros you donate to entities covered by the patronage law are 80% tax-deductible. Giving well can cost you very little.

But to give well, something else is needed first: having a surplus. Time, energy, health, and resources. Someone overwhelmed by their own problems cannot think about anyone else's.

So the sequence is this:

• First, be self-reliant: cover your health, your finances, and your loved ones.
• Afterward, give without expecting anything in return.
• And when you give, do it where it has the most impact, not where it makes the most noise.

That philosophy is not just for festivals. It is a way of life. And, above all, a way to take care of your health.

Do politicians lie? Less than you think

Here is a surprise. The largest comparative study on election promises analyzed more than 20,000 promises in 12 countries and concluded that parties that reach the government fulfill far more than we think.

But there is a key nuance: they fulfill far more when they govern alone. In coalitions, compliance drops because everything has to be negotiated.

And what do we have in Spain? Fragmented parliaments, coalitions, and partners who decide at the last minute. This term has been governed with the 2023 budget extended. And a few days ago we saw how a single party struck down the housing decrees and, with them, triggered elections.

The problem is not that they lie. It's that, even if they want to, they often can't.

And even if they do follow through, they might implement measures that are not the right ones.

The party's color does not predict your health

If you were a fanatic, you would think that healthcare works better where your party governs. The data does not confirm it.

In Spain, one bloc governs. In large regions, others do.

Using Ministry data at the end of 2025, the average wait time for surgery was 50 days in Madrid, 142 in Catalonia, and 173 in Andalusia. Madrid and Andalusia are governed by the same party. And between them, there is a difference of more than four months.

What makes the difference is management, not the flag. And management changes with every councilor, every budget, and every crisis.

Meanwhile, the overall figure is still there: more than 853,000 people waiting for an operation, a record. Regardless of which government is in charge.

Three scenarios, the same conclusion

Let's think like engineers. What could happen to your health depending on what comes out of the ballot boxes on November 29?

• Continuity. Same coalitions, same stalemates. Conflicts like the doctors' strike that drag on. The priority is surviving the next vote.
• Alternation. Change of government, probably also with support from others. The first few years are spent undoing what the previous one did. And since healthcare is a regional responsibility, little will change in your hospital.
• Deadlock. No one has a majority. Election repeat. Extended budget again. Months in a caretaker capacity without structural progress.

In all three, the same thing happens: no one is going to take care of your personal health. And with an aging population and a strained system, it is most likely that public healthcare will get slightly worse, not better. Regardless of who governs.

This is not a criticism of anyone. It is arithmetic.

Be the disruptors of your own health

Doctors are not to blame. They have full schedules and very little time. In much of the world, a primary care visit lasts only a few minutes. It's enough to treat today's symptom. Not for prevention or for the root causes.

And we, the patients, are very passive. We wait for others to decide for us without getting involved.

Radical self-reliance applied to health means three things:

• Autonomy. Take control of your health instead of depending solely on the system.
• Proactivity. Break away from passive habits and make decisions based on data and self-knowledge.
• Responsibility. Educate yourself, stay informed, and apply what works, without waiting for someone else to do it for you.

It's not about going against doctors. It's about arriving at the appointment knowing what the conversation is about.

Don't put the cart before the horse

Before expecting anything from a government, there are obligations that cannot be delegated:

• Treasure health. Sleep. Move. Eat with purpose.
• Treasure wealth. Not to consume, but to live without fear and be able to choose.
• Treasure family. Care for it. Build it. Protect it.
• Treasure relationships. The ones that save you when everything is shaking.
• Treasure useful knowledge. The kind that allows you to act, not just know.
• Treasure self-knowledge. To direct your life with consistency.

If these pillars are shored up, the result of an election will affect you much less. Your house will be built on rock, not on sand.

And there are tailwinds

The good news: there are forces pushing in your favor that do not depend on any government.

Artificial intelligence in medicine. In 2024, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the creators of AlphaFold, an AI that predicts protein structures and accelerates drug design. And the FDA has already authorized hundreds of AI-enabled medical devices.

Global knowledge. It has never been easier to access quality medical information. What only a specialist knew before, today you can understand with a little effort.

New drugs and diagnostics. They are coming from laboratories all over the world. No government can stop them.

These trends will happen regardless of who governs. But they will only be leveraged by those who are prepared. The self-reliant.

Before November 29, do this exercise

Grab a pen and paper. Write two lists.

List 1: your priorities. Your health. Your parents'. Your children's. Your financial independence.

List 2: the rulers' priorities. Winning elections. Keeping partners happy. Passing budgets. Responding to whoever shouts the loudest.

Now compare them. How many points match?

Vote for whoever you believe. It's your right. But don't delegate your health to the result.

In summary

• Expect little from governments. Not because they are bad, but because they can't handle everything.
• Don't be a fanatic: a party's color does not predict how they will care for you.
• Practice radical self-reliance: bring your own water to the desert.
• Take advantage of the tailwinds: technology, AI, and knowledge.
• And put maximum effort into the only thing you control: yourself.

On November 29, you will vote once. Your health is voted on every day.

And the best electoral platform for your longevity is written by you.

Best,

Gonzalo