I see it as an unfortunate side effect of atomic properties and chemical structures. Carbon 14, Hydrogen, and Oxygen are just stuck in a cycle of trying to decompose into entropy where it can be stable, and that by mere virtue of existing, we as living organisms are responsible for the prevention of energy flow into entropy. We are responsible for energy flowing back into the environment, and we are also responsible for the prevention of energy flowing in the manner that it needs to. As long as life exists, energy will flow in a cycle, instead of a river, and whether that is a good thing or not is something we can never really say.