We are, for the most part, a nation of cautious people. You can see it in our politics, in our finances, and in most cases in how we live our lives.

On July 7, 1993, a package was delivered to the claims office of the California State Automobile Association. The package consisted of a used Fruit Loops cereal box. Workers quickly became suspicious. Suppose it contained explosives? Security guards called the police, and about 400 office workers were evacuated from the building. The bomb squad soon arrived on the scene. The Fruit Loops cereal box was “neutralized” with a small cannon, and its contents were blasted into the air. The bomb squad, however, found no explosives. Inside the suspicious package had been $24,000 in cash. The box contained bundles of $20 bills, $1,000 of which were des…