Natchez aldermen would be wise to stop and read, or re-read, self-help guru and author Stephen Covey’s bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Doing so and paying close attention to Covey’s Habit 5 would make our city government operate much more smoothly and with far less unnecessary drama and emotion.

The habit? Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Earlier this week alderman voted to enact a rule to block a circus from performing in the city based on complaints received about the circus from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Such concerns over animal abuse are serious and need to be investigated, but the city should have used a little more patience and sought out information on its own — seeking to understand — first.

Days after the circus ban was put into place the circus organizers responded by saying the city jumped the gun and denied any claims of animal abuse.

It’s certainly within the city’s purview to limit such things if they feel people or animals are at risk, we simply think aldermen would be wise to not react impulsively and simply seek out both sides of the story before making a decision.

Covey would agree.