
As cyberattacks rise across Australia's critical infrastructure, from airlines to superannuation funds, a quiet storm is forming beneath the surface, not just in code or firewalls, but in the mindsets shaping our national response. Surprisingly, a solution to our cybersecurity maturity might not be in quantum encryption or artificial intelligence but in an ancient Chinese parable.
A Lesson from the Riverbank
The Empty Boat Effect, drawn from Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi, is deceptively simple. In the tale, a man is calmly crossing a river when another boat drifts into his path. If the boat is empty, he doesn’t react. But if someone is inside, he becomes angry. Why? Because we respond not to the incident, ...