I have read of a time, before 1920, when there were no such things as passports. A friend mentioned "death certificates", another sort of credential. We have "birth certificates", deeds to our houses and the land they sit on, Pieces of paper that say we graduated and that we paid a kennel for our dog, papers or little cards that say we are allowed to drive automobiles and further pieces of paper that say we did indeed purchase this car and that we are still making payments on it. Currently, we have pieces of paper that say we did get a vaccination against the currently widespread disease and older papers that say we successfully passed all the tests and wrote accepted papers of the required length to be considered graduates of high school. Some pieces of paper say that Reverend Harris did indeed conduct a ceremony with which she and I both promised to cling to each other up to the moment one of us expires.
The internet is changing human life every day and it began with the DARPA agency trying to find a way to protect important files and documents. Their solution was to make good copies and scatter them all over, in so many places that deleting all the copies wouldn't be likely.
Of course, any document might be a forgery, whether we are talking about a US dollar or a diploma. But documents tend to have a history of their own and those who made it or saw it might be able to convince people we have never met that they issued a questioned document or have their own record of issuing it or showing that it has those tiny identifying microdots that show authenticity.
I understand that the Bible and other sources say that I am a child of God and built in His image. As far as I know, nowhere does it say that my life is over if I can't find my birth certificate.
