Getting Life out of the Box

Why is it that we are so afraid to think out of the box? Why are we so insecure that it has almost become a habit to take decisions which have been tried and tested? Why do we follow the rule "Learn from other peoples experiences"? or simply said...why is it that we follow norms set down by other individuals..Can't we think on our own? Are we completely incapable of creating our own "rules", so as to say? Is it just plain FEAR that gets the better of us? It has time and again been observed that people who think "out of the box" succeed, although it may not always be true. But we should ask ourselves, we humans are capable of a lot of things. So do "we" go down as 98 percent of the population does?, live out average lives and die, or can "we" make a difference in our lives, and everyone else's too, so that we are remembered for thinking differently.
Take a simple example. We indian's (and everyone else ) cherish our father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He is renowned worldwide for his methods. There were so many freedom fighters who fought for India. So why is he unique? And why is "he" the father of the nation? Wasn't it because he could think differently? While everyone sought violence as the only means to resolve the predicament at hand, he chose the different way, non-violence. And people noticed. And he went down in history, such that our freedom is completely synonymous with his name. People asked him to make decisions for the newly born nation.
Lets take Bhagat singh, another freedom fighter. he decided to "sacrifice" himself. He let himself be caught on purpose, so that he could be hanged until death. He gave his life when everyone else was interested in taking one. He did this so that people would take notice of such a different thing, and be awakened to the situation. They did. And they did take notice of "him" too. His name mentioned in the history books proves it.
We can take another example, physics. It has taken many years for the physicians of our times to come up with these "laws of physics", matter is made up of atom, molecules, electrons etc. Now we know that there is another possibility, Quantum physics, which challenge their very concept in the first place! So what about all the things we learnt since childhood, if this theory happens to be true?
So is following the path set up by others, the best way to lead our lives? Well, sure it may be safe, as it has been proved by those who tread on it before us. But is it the only way? Is it necessary to follow plans and maps and charts to lead our lives? It is said that man hardly uses a minuscule percent of his brain in his lifetime. But who's stopping us from putting more of this gray matter to good use?
So i'm putting forward this question to anyone who reads this. Can we think out of the box and still be successful, or still lead meaningful lives? Distancing my self from hypocrisy, I agree that I myself am leading this same life. But I atleast ask a question to myself. Do you? Or you are just gonna say "Nicely written. Now let me get back to what I've been doing".