Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2005, the Spanish film "The Sea Inside" tells the story of the Spanish sailor Ramón Sampedro Cameán, who was involved in one of the most controversial episodes concerning a citizen's right to control their own life, both in his native Spain and throughout the world.
Defined as "a free-spirited man," Ramón was born in the Galicia region of Spain on January 5, 1943.
At 18, eager to see the world, he enlisted in the Navy—telling everyone who knew him, "To see the world without spending money, be a sailor"—and remained so until he was 25, having traveled to various countries around the world, even while already engaged.
However, on August 23, 1968, his life changed irreversibly: he was at the beach with some friends and dove from a cliff without realizing that the undertow was causing the seawater to recede, so the remaining water at the diving spot was not enough to cushion the impact and he crashed violently against the ground, breaking his spinal cord and condemning him to tetraplegia that immobilized him from the neck down for the rest of his life.
Ramón, who loved adventures and travel so much, never resigned himself to being confined to a bed 24 hours a day, depending on friends and relatives for everything.
He broke off the engagement, saying he had no right to impose a life of renunciation on his partner, and for decades fought in court for euthanasia, something prohibited by Spanish law at the time: for him, living that way was not worth living and, due to his condition, he was incapable of committing suicide.
With each request denied by the courts, he finally achieved his goal on January 12, 1998, after almost three decades of inactivity, exactly one week after turning 55: for months, he talked with a group of friends and agreed that each of them would carry out an act of his plan. With each one performing an action that was not illegal, no one could be incriminated.
So, one friend offered his house, another put him to bed, another bought a dose of potassium cyanide (one of the most lethal poisons for humans), another filled a glass with water, another mixed the cyanide into it, another placed a metal platform at the head of the bed, another placed the glass on it, another put a bendable straw in the glass, within reach of his mouth, and finally, the last one turned on the camera to record his last words. Ramón spoke them and then ingested the poison, dying within minutes.
For Ramón, the suffering that had deprived him of what he loved most—his freedom—was more than he could bear.
Even so, he left behind two books — written with the help of his nephew — containing several poems of his own authorship: “Cartas Desde El Infierno” (from 1996) and “Cuando Yo Caiga” (released posthumously, in 1998).
It is in this last one that the poem which gives the film its title is found.
It is important to highlight that Ramón was a completely secularized man and did not believe in anything he could not see or feel, including life after death.
In this situation, his quadriplegic condition (which prevented him from realizing his dreams) imposed a suffering for which he saw no meaning: without hope for anything, only able to recall his past and imagine the adventures he had dreamed of and could never live, he preferred to end his own life, seeing it only as unbearable suffering without any purpose.
Indeed, suffering for which no purpose is seen is a source of pure degradation and destruction.
However, the truth is that Ramón's atheism was a decisive factor in his choice: a life without any kind of fulfillment becomes a prison for those who believe that life is all there is, so it's no surprise that many prefer not to live it.
ALL THINGS
However, not all suffering is without purpose, and in the case of a Christian who truly understands the message of the Gospel, there is absolutely no suffering that does not have a goal. The apostle Paul writes to the Romans, saying:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28 – ACF)
And if it includes "all things," that also includes the bad, the painful, the unpleasant...
Of course, nobody likes to suffer, but that doesn't stop God from using suffering for a greater purpose!
Paul's own life is an example of this: of his (approximately) 30 years of ministry after his conversion, Paul spent about 5 in prison, precisely because he was a preacher of a faith considered illicit by both Jews and Romans.
However, even in this situation, no fewer than four epistles full of hope were written, namely: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Furthermore, and chronologically speaking, his last epistle—2ⁿᵈ Timothy—was written while he was under house arrest, awaiting his execution.
If Paul hadn't gone through all of that, Christianity today wouldn't have these true treasures in the Bible.
ONLY JOB
Job was another who, apparently, endured suffering that brought him no immediate personal benefit, but which gave rise to one of the books that most deals with the justice of God, which is far superior and more sublime than human justice: having lost everything—his possessions, his children, and his health—and even reproached by his wife, he simply refused to curse or rebel against God, remaining silent alongside his three friends for seven days (see Job 1 e 2), when the four of them then began to discuss what God was doing by bringing so many misfortunes into Job's life (according to chapters 3 a 31).
In chapter 32, extending to the 37, Then a young man named Elihu joins the conversation and points out that no one, not even the righteous Job, is holy in God's eyes, and that he should not consider himself wise or righteous, for no man is so before the Creator.
The curious thing is that Elihu is not mentioned again after the end of the chapter. 38, So, if he was not praised, neither was he rebuked when God revealed himself, with serious criticism of Job and his three friends (chapter 38 (until the end of the book).
Personally, I believe that Elihu was a prophet sent to that group to prepare them for the rebuke they would hear from the Lord in the following chapters, which left them completely prostrate, unable to respond.
Finally, everything Job had lost was restored to him twofold, and he lived another 140 years enjoying the prosperity granted by God.
Without Job having gone through all that, there would also be no gem like the book that bears his name in Scripture, which shows that God's justice is something very sublime, elevated, too complex to be understood by human beings and that, even if the purpose is not for the sufferer himself, there will always be a reason for God to allow suffering to occur.
THE GREATEST OF ALL
Jesus was very clear about this when, on the eve of the crucifixion, he declared to his disciples:
I have warned you about these things, so that in me you may have peace.
(John 16:33 – KJA)
In this world you will have trouble; but have faith and courage!
I conquered the world.
Our Lord did not hide the fact that those who follow Him will face tribulations, but that this is something temporary, for the world that imposes them is already defeated. In fact, like Paul, countless followers of Christ were persecuted, imprisoned, and cruelly executed.
However, the divine purpose was clear: the blood of the martyrs sealed their testimony, showing that the Christian faith was not mere delusion or illusion; after all, who would be willing to die to defend a lie?
Jesus himself did not suffer without purpose!
The Bible teaches us that Jesus is both God and Man, and therefore, the greatest suffering ever experienced by a human being in this world was the result of a tremendous injustice committed by those who hated him. Even so, this suffering was not without purpose: although he was the only one who never deserved any of it (because he simply had no sin and never had), he accepted it so that his life—which he voluntarily gave up (see...) John 10:17-18) — was given as a ransom by many (according to John 20:28).
Jesus willingly gave his life, submitting himself to the full wrath of divine justice so that those who believe in him might have access to the Father, because of his merits.
The greatest suffering endured in this world had the greatest purpose, a purpose that was achieved.
Therefore, let each one who truly believes in the Gospel always have this certainty in their heart: everything that may happen—even things that seem to be the worst!—has a purpose from God… sometimes for Himself, sometimes for others, but nothing is without purpose, even if the sufferer himself does not know what it is.
And above all, may the certainty also be in the hearts of all that these sufferings are temporary, for Jesus has won for those who believe the New Jerusalem, where there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain.Revelation 21:4).
In the Bonds of Calvary
ORIGINAL TITLE: SUFFERING WITH AND WITHOUT PURPOSE
All the things that have been happening in this world, and particularly in this country called Brazil, cannot be considered exactly "good" or even "normal," even for people with the slightest notion of true justice, let alone for true servants of God.
Eventually, over the years, I would come across people who cited a prophecy about Brazil's important role in the end times, and, skeptical, I never wasted time spreading such triumphalist bravado. However, given the recent events celebrated by the government, I am being forced to suspect that it is coming true: just like the The Holy Spirit seems to be gradually being removed from the world., I suspect that Satan was allowed to experience "pieces" of the tribulation in various places.
In some countries there are earthquakes (natural or man-made), in others there are wars (man-made or not), and in still others there is famine… there are many. evidence It seems that the end times are rapidly unfolding, and in Brazil, it appears we are pioneering the regime that will be imposed by the Beast, and this will turn us, according to prophecy, into a breeding ground... a breeding ground for martyrs for the world!
On this January 8th, 2024, Satan, the father of lies, deserves congratulations: a year of total success!
As editor of The Worst Gospel, I decided to use new formats in the hope of helping to increase the reach of content related to the Scriptures — stories, videos, shorter texts, guest authors… — and this publication, which I took the liberty of reviewing and illustrating, is part of that project.
Thank you for reading this far.
I still need all the help I can get: comments, shares, and reactions help spread this content, which was entirely produced with the intention of contributing to the edification of the Body of Christ in the world.
Português do Brasil 
English 
Español de Argentina