Once you get into the rhythm of nature, it’s hard to get out of it - a photo report about the shepherd called Farkas (in English Wolf)

(Published in Szemlélek Magazin, 2023)

Zsolt Farkas took over the shepherding profession from his father around 1990, and since then he spends almost 365 days a year with his 170 sheep in the farmland of Bács-Kiskun County, not far from Kígyóspuszta. In his adolescence, he used to wander the wilderness for days, herding the animals. He remembers with a smile: where the night feel on him, he pitched his tent. Today the area is divided into small plots, and he has no chance of the freedom he experienced as a child. Zsolt’s father was also a shepherd, and he took over the farm from him around 1990. Since then, he has been outside almost every day of the year, in torrential rain and excruciating heat - once you get into the rhythm of nature, it’s hard to get out of it. Zsolt doesn’t need an alarm clock either: he wakes up when he needs to. He doesn’t sleep much during the birth of his little ones. But for some reason: the lambs are delivered before Easter and Christmas, and in mid-August. At this time, the shepherd gets up several times a night, because it may be necessary to correct the misplaced lamb in the womb before it is born. This way, he saves the mother from enormous pain.I couldn’t stand it any longer, I gave in to temptation and asked: have you never suspected that as a Farkas (In English: Wolf) you deal with sheep? It turned out that the local parish priest, Father Lajos, who had died a few years ago, had joked: „is it good to leave the sheep to the Wolves?” The whole row of farms used to belong to the Farkas, but now only he carries on the craft from the family. Zsolt works alone most of the time, only occasionally assisted by an assistant, otherwise he shears all 170 sheep himself. As he talks, he shows me a strange shepherd’s crook. It is hard to get a grip on a sheep once the hair has been cut off - that’s what the hooked end of the stick is for. It can be hooked into the animal’s leg. It’s like the bishops’ shepherd’s crook, but less elegant and not a symbol, but a working tool. In any case, such a little thing brings up so many thoughts and feelings, and explains everything... Shepherd, Bishop, and the Good Shepherd. At my request, he also gives us a Christmas message: he says it is worth seeking and finding peace of mind, not accumulating objects. It reminds me of what he said at the beginning of our conversation,that he did not stick to his profession because he can get rich from it. And has he found peace of mind here? His answer is a firm, smiling yes.