You can't go through a great lot of pain without the competitive drive, the hunger for greatness. In other primates, it's expressed in form of strength, in humans in the shape of great accomplishments.

If we were all nice people who don't mind being last, we wouldn't be "here" now.

Of course, the "non-abusive population" (you name it) have done great things, they help maniacally driven people like Musk to archive things, but they are the ones who lack the assertiveness and initiative, they're the cogs in the machine.