What’s the most you’ve done for the person you love? And no, I don’t mean for a person whom you are already engaged or married to, but to someone you’re trying to win over.
Remember in the Bible when Jacob wanted to marry Rachel? The story goes that his father Isaac had sent him to find a wife from his relative’s (Laban) family. Jacob fell in love with Rachel while she was drawing water from a well, and so Rachel ran to her father and told him about it.
Laban invited Jacob to live with them, and so, after staying with them for a month, Jacob was determined to marry her. To do so, Rachel’s father convinced Jacob to work for him for seven years in order to marry her.
Jacob loved her so much, so he agreed to it. It is said that the seven years seemed like a few days to him because of his love for her. However, once the seven years were over, Laban tricked him and married Leah off to him.
Jacob was mad that he had been tricked, but Laban convinced him that, if he worked for another seven years, he would actually grant him Rachel. So, Jacob did the necessary, for he really loved Rachel. And at the end of it all, after working for 14 years, he finally got Rachel.
But is that the worst case of simping in history? Check this guy out.
Riddle Time
Ewart Grogan
Ewart Grogan stands out as one of the most influential settlers in colonial Kenya, mostly due to the vast sizes of land he owned, and subsequently, the wealth he wielded over it.
Born in England in 1874, Ewart Grogan went to school at Cambridge, where he fell in love with a girl called Gertrude Watt. When Gertrude’s stepfather heard about Grogan, he completely disapproved of him, even though he came from a respectable family. This is because he had nothing to show for himself, having even been expelled from all the schools he attended.
To prove to the stepfather that he was actually serious, he proposed walking from Cape Town to Cairo. The stepfather agreed.
In the year 1898, while 24 years old, Ewart Grogan made his way to Cape Town, where he was to start his journey.
On the way, Grogan encountered a lot of challenges, including tropical diseases such as fevers, being followed by cannibals, lions, hippos and crocodiles, and even being plagued by parasites. While at a place called Chiromo, in Malawi, Grogan nearly died from crocodile attacks.
When he got to Zimbabwe, he found the British people, under the British South African Company, fighting against the local Matabele people, in what was to be known as ‘The 2nd Matabele War’. He joined in and provided support, and the British actually went on to win. It is important to note that the founder of the Scouts movement, Lord Baden-Powell, was part of the army fighting against the locals. Lord Baden-Powell’s brother, Francis Baden-Powell, would end up marrying Gertrude’s youngest sister, Florence.
In 1900, after two and a half years of travelling, Grogan finally reached Cairo. He had now become a popular sensation, and was even made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, in addition to meeting Queen Victoria. He also finally won over the girl.
They got married in London in the same year, October 11th 1900. They moved to Kenya in 1904 and lived together, happily-ever-after.
But what remains in our mind, is that Grogan walked for 10,000 kilometres, just so he can marry Gertrudes. He also became the first person in recorded history to walk that length (Cape Town to Cairo).
Now, many other people have done so, albeit not for simping reasons. The walk is done as a matter of adventure, or to break some record. But when you’re doing the tour, remember that Grogan was there too.
Proverb of the Week
Busoga bwitetwe munda bubole. (Sumbwa)
Translation: A beautiful fruit, but inside it is rotten.
Meaning: Don’t trust the outward appearance. Someone/something can look/talk good but have wicked behaviour.
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Special thanks to Keith Angana for contributing to the newsletter.
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