By Lauren Burdick
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While I may not be completely void of compassion, it is true that I rarely cry in response to events not directly affecting my life. I can proudly state that I have never cried during a movie or television program, reality or otherwise, regardless of the sap factor. In all senses of the word, I am stoic and happily immune to the sorrow of the big and small screens.

For this reason, I was caught off guard a few weeks ago when I sat on my couch in tears, bawling, to be exact, while watching Oprah, a show I rarely have the time or patience to watch. Earlier that week, local news stations reported that Gregory Smith, 23, of Indianapolis, attempted to burglarize a check-cashing business, but instead, knelt and prayed with the fearful attendant, Angela Montez.

What I quickly wrote off as the typical “guy from the wrong side of the tracks making a vain attempt to do good” story quickly turned into something more as I watched a tearful and jumpsuit-clad Smith on Oprah only days later.

Smith formerly served in the armed forces and was trying to provide for his fiancee and small child. He said he felt a connection with Montez and found himself in awe by her forgiving words. It struck me suddenly that this man was genuine.

Smith hadn’t meant harm; he only found himself in the wrong situation. In the end, Smith acted in the only way he knew how given his situation, and his remorse was obvious. His unexpected character was what had surprised me the most and undoubtedly brought on the unprecedented waterworks on my behalf.

I admittedly have been guilty of judging books by their unbecoming covers. Gregory Smith, a man I probably would never cross in my day-to-day living, single-handedly changed my perspective. All initial reports led me to believe that Smith’s prayer was an act caught by surveillance video designed to curb his inevitable jail time.

It wasn’t until I heard Smith’s and Montez’s stories firsthand that I realized how wrong my thoughts had been. If a pivotal change could take place in a man like Gregory Smith’s most desperate moment, certainly a change could take place in me or anyone else.

Countless times, I have been told that people are not what they seem. And while I have earnestly tried to maintain an objective view of people, it was never legitimate for me until Gregory Smith’s teary words came streaming live from a Marion County jail cell. His honest words struck me like few things ever had and provoked a change in how I view people today. It was in that sap-filled moment on my couch that I realized that if everyone were open to seeing people for what they truly are, instead of what they appear to be, more tears of change might flow.