Relationships are a necessary element in our lives. With them, we can learn more about ourselves through the lens of another person.

Relationships are similar to a prism – with the introduction of the right person into our lives, a good relationship allows us to observe the full spectrum of who we truly are.

Now, who you are in a relationship with is incredibly important. However, there is more acting on a relationship than just the person themselves.

Love is not a political act – however, love and relationships are still interpersonal spaces that are susceptible to political forces.

For evidence of this, all you need to do is flip through your personal history book and look at the pages upon pages on the struggle for interracial marriage, women’s equality and marriage equality in the United States.

So, it is undeniable that politics have a heavy hand in how contemporary relationships are perceived and handled.

However, my experiences with observing personal relationships on our campus seem to indicate otherwise.

Amidst the talk about plans for the upcoming weekend or the affectionate terms that are shared among those in a romantic relationship, there is something missing.

Many young couples are not discussing their personal politics with each other, which is an issue.

In the political climate of today, there are many issues at hand that have high potential for affecting interpersonal relationships – such as women’s access to birth control and abortions.

Being with someone that is pro-life when you are pro-choice can obviously pose myriad problems – and not talking about it does not make that elephant in the room go away.

There are fundamental bases of belief that people have when it comes to a variety of topics – including politics.

It is not just important, but necessary to be able to articulate those beliefs to your partner and also have your significant other follow through with communicating their political standings with you.

In the past, some of my relationships were considerably strained because of the fact that I did not have these conversations with my former partners, and ended up finding out their political beliefs in some very uncomfortable situations.

Learn from my mistakes and open up the conversation.

“Talk politics to me” doesn’t sound very sexy, but it is crucial not just for the relationship at hand, but for you.

As an individual, you should not feel that your beliefs are being compromised, or cramped by the other person, which can easily happen as a result of not having that conversation.

But if you do talk about it, you just might discover that your relationship will benefit from these conversations – especially if you discover that your partner is on the same page with you on a variety of political issues.

Who knows, you two just might end up going to a Bernie Sanders rally for your next big date – a girl can dream.

On the flip side, being with a partner who disagrees with you on specific aspects can be very draining. Take it from someone who has been there, it was exhausting.

Discussing your personal politics with your partner is something that should take precedence in your relationship – right up there with scheduling dates and figuring out who will pay for each other’s coffee.

College is a very important time for relationships, and also for discovering what you truly believe. Mixing the two together can be a very difficult process, but it can and should be done – I Bernie-ve in you.

Sophia Stephens is a senior english literature and comparative ethnic studies major from wenatchee. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.