A flihgt of China Eastern Airline

Disregarding the commands of the flight and cabin crew on a plane is irresponsible and potentially dangerous, and something that civilized and law-abiding people should not do. But some passengers on a flight from Kunming to Beijing did just that on Saturday - opening three emergency exits despite the opposition of the cabin crew. As a result, the flight had to be canceled.

The incident that took place in the capital city of Southwest China's Yunnan province is still being investigated. But a tour guide and a passenger have already been detained for 15 days for spreading rumors and opening a safety door without permission.

It was reported that the air-conditioner was switched off so that ice on the exterior of the plane could be defrosted. Angry with the explanation given by the First Officer, some of the passengers opened three emergency exits immediately after the plane disengaged from the airbridge.

What did the First Officer say that could plunge the passengers into such a rage? We can't say. But this is not the first time uncivilized behavior or insensible acts by Chinese passengers on a plane have been reported. Less than a month before a young Chinese couple verbally attacked a crew member onboard a flight from Bangkok to Beijing forcing the flight to turn back. In April last year, three Chinese came to blows with another simply because they were annoyed by the noise the fellow made eating his meal. In September, 2012, two Chinese passengers had a brawl because one of them put the seat back.

Such incidents have smeared mud on the image of Chinese people at large.

Why are some Chinese passengers so short-fused they lose their senses and do something that decent people would never think of doing in any circumstances? That is the question that every Chinese needs to give serious consideration to.

It is not fair to conclude that these people who do such terrible things have no sense of shame and no sense of what is right and what is wrong. It is because they are so self-centered that they always place their own interests first. They have not the least idea that one can only win prestige by behaving oneself but never by flexing one's muscles.

People need to be educated from childhood on how to behave in a civilized manner. They need to be educated on the basics of how to be law-abiding citizens. And they also need to be told from their childhood that tolerance is a virtue.