What Is Humanity?

I was going through my church's website/blog and came across an old question from early November that I'd skipped by and meant to come back to eventually.  I guess now is "eventually".  The question?  What is Humanity?:

“What does it mean to be human?” Simple yet profound. There are many directions you could take this question. Who are we? What is our purpose? What is our relationship to God? What is our relationship to each other? Are we mostly decent, mostly depraved, or somewhere in the middle? The list of questions could go on and on. Please answer in any way that is most meaningful to you. What does it mean to be human?

I have been thinking about this question for a while.  I don't usually put too much thought into the question of my purpose here on Earth.  I'm here and I'm kind of used to it.  But Pastor Brian's question has led me to ponder mankind's purpose.  Why were we -- as a race -- created?  Are we just glorified caretakers?  And, if so, are we failing miserably at our job through overpopulation, polluting, over consumption, and extinction agents?

The problem with humanity is that we don't have one mind.  We were seemingly created to care for the planet, but we can't come to agreement with what that means.  One group believes that the planet and everything on it is nothing but raw materials for us to mold to our needs.  Another group believes that we need to do everything we can to nurture, preserve, and protect what's left of the planet at all costs.  And most of us are just shuttling back and forth through life trying not to think too much about it all.

Which leads me to the rest of the question: what is our relationship to God and to each other?  It's clear that God had special plans for us in comparison to the other animals.  We were created in God's image.  Maybe we're minuscule reflections of Him, tending the planet while he tends to the larger universe.  Maybe...

Another question to consider.  Are we decent?  Are we depraved?  If we're made in God's image, is our depravity reflected back on Him on a larger scale?  Or is our collective depravity minimized through our connection to God and the Holy Spirit?  Are we reflecting God's image when we treat each other with compassion, friendship, and support?  What are we reflecting when we treat others like shit?

I feel like I've been doing nothing but answering questions with other questions.  I'm just not sure that humanity as a whole is either decent or deprived.  We all have our moments when we touch those around us and we all have moments that make us cringe upon reflection.  We're not good and we're not evil, but we have the potential to do both good and evil.

So, what do you think?  What is humanity to you?