Traditional education emphasizes following directions, coloring inside the lines, keeping a tidy desk and playing nicely with your friends. These are not bad things and have assured that civilized life on this planet will continue as we know it, especially the staying inside the lines bit. By staying 'inside the box' we are praised, rewarded and even promoted. Road signs, maps, train timetables, flight plans all rely on this principle and with good reason. Yield' would become a suggestion, or something to discuss.
History is written by people 'inside the box'.
They record events as accurately as possible and leave the interpretation to the reader. History is made however by those 'outside the box'. The changes affected by them are what make history, both good and bad. Long periods in history where there is little change, recorded or otherwise, are periods when thinking outside the box may have been frowned upon. Fearing persecution, imprisonment or even death, entire civilizations have lived and died remaining 'inside the box'.