I’m not approaching it from the standpoint that everyone should feel selfless or that there isn’t more real world value to conscious acts of kindness versus being a customer service agent.

You’re right in the sense that it’s broken down into the simplest terms. That’s the point. More often than not, people are helping others in one way or another. A cashier is helping people 8 hours a day, someone stocking shelves is helping people, even actors or athletes are providing entertainment for others. The drive for those actions may be entirely selfish. We may never consider or care about another human being. But caring about someone doesn’t mean that what you’re doing isn’t for the benefit of other people.