It looks like everybody was being killed off or scared of muties, scared of being poisoned, and many other disasters, pillaging, etc.,. how were they really that happy?
For my part I often felt Roland's world truer than ours... I might be sick to feel this way but that's the truth.
I am sure the people in the Calla could be happy when they didn't think of their curse.
The way I see it people can be happy and sad anywhere.