Do the ends always justify the means?

The world has come a long way, in recognising the need for order, fairness, justice and equity in our societies. We have learned the hard way that there is more to life than excessive one-upmanship. Think for a moment what countries like the US, Russia and China would be without safeguards, laws, and ethical guidelines, what with all the advanced scientific and military inventions at their disposal. A miniature picture of the chaos that would result is the state of anarchy, and the set-backs witnessed in Somalia, in the horn of Africa.
Jeremiah, a Jewish seer once said: the heart (of man) is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it? Another wise man noted that wars and fighting emanate from an inborn desire (lusts) to acquire things for oneself. When two or more of such desires crisscross, explosions of major proportions do occur. And that is how conflict and war originate. A sober look at the major conflicts of the world reveals a desire to own, rule, and subdue others. It is a wicked expose of a superiority complex individuals have about themselves. But that is not all; it triggers an opposite reactionary response to counter-balance the oppressive force.
To create an atmosphere conducive for all to prosper in civility, there is need for law, order, ethics and equity. The need for law and order is necessary because lawlessness is detrimental to the common good of all. Ethics and equity creates guidelines for fairness for everyone to thrive regardless of ability and opportunity in life.
With due respect to creativity, the end cannot always justify the means. If you have four children, you cannot put food before them and tell them: there you go; it is survival for the fittest! There must be a mechanism, verbalised or otherwise, where all of them know that they can only eat what they need, and should be mindful of the younger and the weaker ones among them. An atmosphere which creates a negative emotion in any of the children is conducive for a stigma that may stay with them for life, hence the need to inculcate moral values in them. On another different but related example, a few millionaires may find themselves unsettled living among a large population of very poor persons, much as they acquired their wealth through hard work.

None other than Niccolo Machiavelli himself, the author of The Prince whose blue-print formulates the theme of this article, recognises the futility of oppressive injustice. He notes in chapter IX, concerning a democratic ruler: He who obtains sovereignty by the assistance of the nobles maintains himself with more difficulty than he who comes to it by the aid of the people, because the former finds himself with many around him who consider themselves his equals, and because of this he can neither rule nor manage them to his liking.
Thus, in all our pursuits in life the ethical question cannot be over-emphasized; the means, and being considerate for all, makes the ends worth looking forward to.