ax·i·om n. 1. A self-evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim. 2. An established rule, principle, or law. 3. Abbr. ax. A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.

op·por·tu·ni·ty n., pl. op·por·tu·ni·ties. 1.a. A favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances. b. A favorable or suitable occasion or time. 2. A chance for progress or advancement.

op·por·tun·ist n. One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences. --op"por·tun"ism n.

--The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition, CD-ROM version.

Actually, I was using "axiom" in the third sense: something you normally don't try to prove, because you can't, or you don't know how; so you just take it for granted and argue from there. I suppose my background in mathematics caused me to use it that way. An axiom in mathematics has no moral implications whatsoever!

And, dang it, it does seem like a good axiom that "more opportunities are better than fewer" because almost everyone LIKES to have lots of opportunities. Some people like to limit other people's opportunities, and those people always make me suspicious that they are doing so for selfish reasons.

And I don't think having opportunities or advocating others' having opportunities is the same thing as being opportunistic. (Dang dictionary doesn't have an entry for "opportunistic.")

I'm for opportunities, and against opportunism, because of that "no regard for principles or consequences" clause. But I wouldn't accuse anyone in this story of being opportunistic, because I don't know enough about their motivations.

The opportunity I had in mind, of course, was the opportunity to learn a tune from sheet music. But the opportunity to make money from one's work is also worthy of consideration. One has to be weighed against the other. But look how hard it is to get to that part of the discussion without quibbling over words!