My kid was about 3 when he figured out what it means to be a good person, and that's all he seems to want to be now.
Maybe it's just where I am, but the majority of parents around me also want to raise children who care, and a lot of them seem to be quite successful at it.
It was never scoldings, it was "hey, let's think about how it might feel if that happened to you." Patiently and caringly.
Again, it doesn't feel that hard to me, but I'll respect that it feels alien to other's nature.