Author: Gilson Guilherme Miguel Ângelo
GAESEMA Journal | Vol. 5 of the book production | Year 2025 | Special Edition 7

Abstract

This article presents a philosophical and practical proposal for sustainable production, inspired by the logic of nature and the principles of the GAESEMA philosophy. Rather than imposing artificial and exclusionary economic rules, GAESEMA invites humanity to learn from the Earth itself: its organization, its rhythms, and its ancestral wisdom. Based on six principles — Limit, Balance, Economy, Inclusion, Meaning, and Morality — this article reconstructs the concept of production as a conscious, regenerative, ethical, and spiritual practice. More than a critique of the current model, this is a collective lesson: producing responsibly is the highest act of planetary citizenship.

Keywords:

Production; Sustainability; African Philosophy; GAESEMA; Productive Ethics; Human Development.

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1. Introduction

This article is part of point 7, Chapter 5, of the book “The A; E; I; O; U of Production”, authored by the African philosopher and thinker Gilson Guilherme Miguel Ângelo. The purpose of this text is not simply to criticize the current model of development, but to offer a didactic, accessible, and inclusive orientation for all members of society — from policymakers to informal workers — to rethink production as an ethical and collective act. Inspired by the GAESEMA philosophy, which brings together management, spirituality, morality, and economics, this reflection proposes a silent revolution: to listen to nature as our teacher and accept that we are merely temporary apprentices. Rather than provoking guilt, the goal is to educate and transform consciousness by aligning production with the principles of good living, the common good, and regeneration. What is presented here is more than a model: it is a proposal for civilizational re-education.

2. The Pillars of Sustainable Production in GAESEMA

2.1. Producing with Limits: The Intelligence of Natural Cycles

In nature, everything has a time, a space, and a measure. A river that overflows floods the land; soil forced to produce without rest becomes infertile. Limits, therefore, are not failures — they are wisdom. Human production, especially in the African context, must abandon the obsession with unlimited growth and recognize that true progress respects the boundaries of the body, the land, water, and time. GAESEMA teaches that the first step toward sustainable production is to accept that abundance comes from balance, not from excess. Limits invite reinvention and responsible innovation. A wise producer understands the signals of the earth and respects its rhythms, planting more wisely and harvesting more justly.

Key Idea: A true producer knows when to plant, when to wait, and when to stop — because they understand the Earth must also breathe.

2.2. Producing with Balance: Harmony Between Growth and Preservation

Nature is the greatest example of balanced management. In an ecosystem, each element plays its role without overburdening the others. When humans disrupt this balance, the result is disease, climate change, and hunger. Producing with balance is more than organizing labor — it is about listening to consequences and acting consciously. The GAESEMA philosophy proposes that production planning always be guided by three questions: What is fair for the environment? What is useful to society? And what is healthy for the producer’s soul? These questions help avoid excess, reconcile profit with sustainability, and restore humans to their role as part of the cycle — not as dominators.

Key Idea: Balanced production does not deny growth but demands that it be sensible, collective, and lasting.

2.3. Producing Without Waste: The Wisdom of Reuse

In nature’s logic, there is no such thing as waste: fallen leaves become fertilizer, animal excrement nourishes the soil. Waste is a human invention, and its presence reveals ignorance. Sustainable production, according to GAESEMA, demands that every resource be used with intelligence, creativity, and gratitude. Waste is seen as a spiritual offense — an act of ingratitude toward the gifts of the Earth. Smart production is about transforming the unnecessary into the useful, the leftover into the seed. This applies as much to household economies as to industrial policy. The future belongs to circular production, where even residues gain symbolic and material value.

Key Idea: To produce wisely is to recognize that everything has value — and throwing something away is like burning wealth.

2.4. Producing with Inclusion: Everyone Has a Role in the Productive System

In the forest, there is no exclusion: even insects play vital roles. Likewise, human production must include all actors — small, medium, and large. Exclusion kills talents, marginalizes knowledge, and weakens collective productivity. GAESEMA advocates for a production model where traditional knowledge, subsistence farmers, and informal workers are recognized as essential. Sustainable production is that which respects cultural diversity, gives voice to the periphery, and values everyone’s contribution. Inclusion is not charity — it is smart strategy for holistic development.

Key Idea: The economy will only be sustainable when the smallest is treated with the same importance as the richest.

2.5. Producing with Meaning: Work as a Mission, Not Just Income

Producing solely for money drains the soul and exhausts the body. Meaningful production unites purpose and action, transforming work into mission. GAESEMA invites us to engage in a spirituality of production, where each activity carries meaning for the individual and the community. This is not about religion, but about awareness: does what I produce serve life? Does it serve the common good? When the answer is yes, the producer feels pride, feels useful, and reverses the existential emptiness that is common in modern work. Meaning is what turns production into a spiritual act.

Key Idea: To work with meaning is to make production a path of human and social elevation.

2.6. Producing with Morality: Ethics as the Foundation of Civilization

Without morality, production becomes destruction. Profit that stems from exploitation is false development. GAESEMA teaches that all production must be guided by deep ethics: respect for the worker, the consumer, the environment, and future generations. Moral production values fairness, transparency, and dignity. It sets ethical boundaries on ambition, transforms businesses into spaces of citizenship, and markets into spaces of cooperation. Immoral production may generate wealth, but it also brings inequality, corruption, and violence. Moral production, on the other hand, heals, organizes, and liberates.

Key Idea: Morality is the invisible soil upon which every just production must grow.

3. Conclusion: Nature Teaches, Humanity Learns, Production Evolves

The GAESEMA philosophy offers an urgent and necessary proposal: to reconcile humanity with nature, and production with the common good. The planet is sending clear signs that the current model is failing. But instead of placing blame, this article proposes education. The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to it. And our duty is to learn from its wisdom. Producing with limits, balance, intelligence, inclusion, purpose, and morality is more than a model — it is a new way of being. Let us be humble enough to relearn. And courageous enough to apply.

“Those who do not learn from nature will be corrected by its consequences.”

Conceptual References

• Gilson G. M. Ângelo (2024). The A; E; I; O; U of Production
• GAESEMA Philosophy: Economic, Social, Spiritual, and Moral Management of Africa
• Fritjof Capra (1996). The Web of Life
• William McDonough & Michael Braungart (2002). Cradle to Cradle
• Zygmunt Bauman (2013). Consuming Life
• James Lovelock (1979). Gaia Hypothesis

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