"Integrity is telling myself the truth. Honesty is telling the truth to other people." -Spencer Johnson 

The 2008 Presidential election is already dominating the news, and whether or not you're interested in politics, observing the process can be instructive. As one reporter put it, "It may be the small moments that illuminate candidates most." And you can certainly bet that this next year will feature many hand-picked, supposedly revealing moments from the lives of the candidates. Some of these moments will probably hurt campaigns, if not ruin them altogether. And the gossipy headlines that accompany such revelations are often annoying to the public.

But individual actions in what seem like obscure moments often do shed light on a person's deeper nature, so we shouldn't dismiss them altogether. Philip Brooks said, "Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it's made in the small ones."

For example, a recent article reported that one candidate's first case as a young lawyer concerned "the rear end of a rat found in a can of pork." This candidate represented the cannery and won on the grounds that the rodent parts "had been sterilized and might be considered edible in certain parts of the world."

Another candidate opted out of a high-profile, big-money job to fight for the civil rights of the underprivileged instead. Yet another candidate took on cases involving grievously injured plaintiffs. Not knowing they'd be running for high office, these people acted out their deeper passions and beliefs.

Because that's what I'm talking about here - integrity, not politics. To let your guard down and act selfishly in private, only to act and speak like a beacon of morality in public, is just asking for a karmic kick in the butt. As Charles Swindoll said, "The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody's looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you're misunderstood."

Where do you stand? Take this quiz:

1. If you find a wallet full of cash, what do you do?

• Take the money and turn in the wallet.
• Take the credit cards and turn in the wallet.
• Turn in the credit cards and money, but keep the wallet.

2. If you are stressed out and aggravated, what do you do?

• Honk and cuss at pedestrians taking too long to cross the road.
• Buy a bottle of liquor to ease the pressure.
• Scream at the new intern in the office and make him or her cry.

3. If you are married and hit on by a beautiful, spunky young co-worker, what do you do?

• Invite him or her to the storage room for a private meeting.
• Invite him or her over for dinner with the family.
• Make out with him or her only at work, to spare your family the pain of doing it at your home.

Unfortunately, any of these answers are all too common. But they don't show real integrity, characterized by living like the whole world is watching - when you’re mad, when you’re stressed, even when you’re lustful.

So keep that in mind when you hear about others' small moments - and when living your own.

"The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King, Jr.