I agree with the comments below; we place a lot of constraints on our mindset that end up limiting the depth and activity of our social interactions. I must say that the fact this town is quite small, does not help either. Word travels quickly, and sometimes you know a lot more than you want or care to know about somebody - even before you meet them! This distorts or clouds your perception, or your initial level of contact.
This "small-town" factor breeds self-censorship and a paranoia of being "mafdou7". A lot of us have nestled in a comfortable cocoon, away from scathing mouths, because we are so afraid of becoming fresh material for gossip. A lot of us end up censoring most of our interactions, because we want to become accessible, sometimes even accepted by everybody. This also kills our creativity, because how can you innovate or create, when you are afraid of being judged?
The other problem is that we tend to be harsh and hasty with passing judgments. I think due to the diversity that we enjoy (on a socioeconomic and cultural level), we find ourselves placing people in boxes and labels a lot faster than we should. And so, we end up aligning ourselves with people that belong to a similar label that we do.
Please note that all of the above is merely a product of my personal observations, and they represent my opinion and are certainly not absolute truths!
I must say, that I practice a lot of the above (especially the self-censorship part). Currently, I am trying to rekindle my friendships with people, I am actually putting an effort to putting myself "out there" - like what Shalabieh said. I am picking up the phone, calling up old friends and asking them out for a drink. I'm also trying to calculate my movements and actions less than I used to. I must say that it's quite difficult, it requires a lot of time, effort, patience and phone credits! But I hope it will be rewarding!
