58-59 2 Ne. 2:12-30

The Lord created things to act and things to be acted upon. In verse 26 the Lord tells us that we are to act for ourselves and to not be acted upon. When we keep the commandments and are in tune with the spirit, we are free forever, and able to act for ourselves. When we are disobedient, we become things that are acted upon and we lose our freedom to choose because of the affixed punishment that binds us down. In todays world we are surrounded by things that act upon us. We live in a world of instant gratification and sensory overload. We need to take the time to step back and look at the things in our lives that are inhibiting us from being "agents unto ourselves," to do good by our own free will. I find myself watching too many sporting events (being acted upon) instead of playing sports (acting). I watch too many movies instead of reading a good book and developing my cognition and imagination. I spend too much time texting and social networking instead of speaking face to face, or going to lunch with someone and developing personal skills. There is a great talk by Elder Bednar called "Things as they really are," that gives more examples of how we are acted upon in todays world and what we can do to become actors in this life.