Of course it will never work. Ideals rarely, if ever do exist when dealing with something as complex and the human psyche and add to that the interaction of all the people in proximity to one another and it becomes a real mess. As an ideal however, I should never impinge on another's right to pursue their dreams and goals, or even their stereo or personal space, just as they should never impinge on my pursuit or peace and quite reflection of a good book or purchased space of a seat as the example went. Driving down the road it is hard to remain a courteous driver, and that is a simple matter of manners and obeying rather simplistic laws. So while I appreciate the ideal, I still have to work on my own empathy in even the most basic interactions with others. Self awareness can be such a bother at times. :P
I had what I thought was a profound revelation when I was a freshman in college (1992). It was that our Western society was becoming more and more narcissistic with every passing year and that would lead to an eventual breakdown, or near breakdown of society as it existed at the time causing either a near anarchy state or a new renaissance of awareness in a rebound effect. I even wrote an essay on the subject for a class. The professor referred me to the library with a title and author for some reading. Seems I had the near exact same epiphany that some learned soul had published in 1972, two years before I was born! And there I was narcissistic enough to believe it was an original thought!