You can also learn from history. According to Greek mythology, Pandora was bestowed upon humankind as a punishment for Prometheus's theft of fire from the gods. As the first woman on earth, Pandora was entrusted with a beautifully-crafted box that contained all the ills that could plague people. She was carefully warned that once she opened it, she would never be able to replace its contents in the box. Things have never been the same.
History repeats itself.
In 1853, under orders from President Millard Fillmore, Commodore Matthew Perry dropped anchor off the cost of Uraga and demanded that Japan enter into trade agreements with the United States. Because Japan had been isolated from the rest of the world for 250 years, Commodore Perry was confronted with an island culture that saw no reason to cooperate with his wishes. The Japanese finally decided that the best defense was to beat the foreign barbarians at their own game. They went about it with a vengeance. Thirty years ago, sushi bars were hard to find in most American cities.