Is it possible to be happy?

The very premise of Freud's Civilizations and its Discontents is that happiness cannot be achieved unless we are allowed to express and fulfill our every desire as human beings. However, this absolute freedom would never be granted because it would supposedly lead to violence and the downfall of civilization. These conflicting points of view leave people trapped within a society where the desires of the id are suppressed, thus they are supposedly indefinitely "discontent" according to Freud. But the question is, is some measure of happiness attainable without full expression of every underlying desire?

I think that happiness can be found within a "repressed" environment, though perhaps it is fleeting. In the world of today, everybody is a consumer, which, I believe, fosters an ever-increasing desire for material things. Material things that apparently bring us a feeling of happiness to have. For example, buying a new phone or ipod or laptop or clothes or whatever it is, brings us joy. This joy is not permanent, however, as newer and better products continue to be made to entice us all. This quickly diminshes the happiness and creates a feeling of want that is insatiable - for the cycle never ends. Therefore, it is possible to find happiness with material things, but it will be temporary.

The immaterial can bring happiness as well. Love and affection for someone or from someone is considered to contribute to joy and fulfillment and I wholeheartedly agree that love is one of the happiest emotions there is, but not always - not complete happiness. Lovers can fight or grow apart or break up, there are difficult days that are anything but happy within loving relationships. Love, while definitely inciting happiness, however, does not lead to unwavering content.

So happiness is possible, but does happiness inevitably mean contentment? I feel contentment is a more permanent and concrete feeling, while happiness is fleeting and fragile. This stability makes contentment harder to achieve. And if letting our ids run wild and make all the decisions would incite violence and chaos, would the feeling of content even be possible anymore?

I think that what Adam Curtis is trying to say in his documentary is much like Freud, that contentment within civilization is impossible because desires are suppressed. And while people are unknowingly satisfyinng their id's desires by falling for advertisements and the consumer market ploys, they can be happy but not truly content with life. Perhaps that is the distinction, people can find utter peace and content beyond the confines of civilization, where they can express themselves unihibited by society. They cannot do this among other people though, for fear of violence and chaos - and without other people, how can we have society?

Basically, happiness is possible as a substitute for complete contentment. It is definitely possible to find it within civilization, through buying new things or falling in love for example. But the feeling of content, the uninterupted complete and utter enjoyment and fulfillment that comes along with it, cannot be achieved. There are too many competing factors that conflict with it. But this is the sacrifice we choose to make in order to maintain society, the temporary happiness may last for hours, days, months or years before it is interrupted...but it is always enough.

Curtis and Freud might be right about not being content, but they can never say humanity is not happy.