Getting to know whoever you are dating in and out is acutely indispensable. This will save you a lot of tears and days of regret. But even though it’s such a weighty matter, there is no rule of thumb that applies to all relationships as people do have varying degrees of tolerance and patience among other characters. For instance, take a scenario where you are dating someone from a different religion/denomination and you can’t agree whose religion/denomination the two of you should follow. If you know that your partner is tolerant, then it’s obvious that practicing different religions won’t affect your union that much. But if he’s the type who has a lot of difficulty in tolerating other belief(s), you must first comprehensively harmonize how things will work; whether you will convert or he will just have to tolerate you or whether the two of you will dissolve the union. So what are these things you must agree on before ultimately agreeing to move around with that engagement ring?
Religion
The bulk of what can be said on religion has been discussed in the introduction. But just to add on it, some people are not interested in religion and they don’t care whether you practice it or not. Even in such a situation, confirm with him/her if s/he’ll tolerate you. But even if s/he agrees, it’s not a sign that all will be fine, it is advisable to date someone with whom your religious beliefs have a bigger correlation coefficient.
Political affiliation.
If one party is too much interested in politics, it’s only advisable to go ahead with the relationship if either you share the same political affiliation or not so much into politics and can change your stand. This will bring harmony during political periods and can also bring sanity when the other partner, later on, decides to join politics and expects you to be his/her first supporter.
Hobbies.
When you share hobbies, fantastic! You will have lots of moments of fun together. But even if you don’t, you’re not unconditionally doomed; you can still check if the other party can adjust or just allow you to enjoy yourself without interference. But if you have totally antagonistic hobbies like; one loves singing in church and the other love raving, it’s advisable to look for a more compatible partner.
How you’ll share responsibilities.
Traditionally, providing for the family has always been men’s responsibility and household chores women’s. But it’s possible to find a man who still believes that cooking and looking after the children is wholly a woman’s responsibility but he can’t provide everything or a woman who feels that the man should provide everything but is uncomfortable doing all the house chores. So, it’s better to agree first.
Finances.
Financial transparency is very obligatory. Keeping secret accounts is a profoundly misguided idea for a successful relationship. Even if you don’t keep a common account, the other party should know that you have other account(s). And you should also agree on how to spend your earnings together.
John Michael 